Last of the Ravens - Story Arc 1: Weeping Willow
by B171189
Summary: Life on the Path is never easy, for Julia is even worse. She is the last survivor of the enigmatic School of the Raven, the one and only known School that made and trained women to become monster hunters for hire, now long since destroyed. Alone and coinless she straggles, not only to keep herself fed but also to keep her sanity, in a world which the worst monsters aren't obvious.
1. Welcome to Weeping Willow

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* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to Weeping Willow**

* * *

It was late in the night at the Ugly Duckling, the one and only inn that travelers could rest, drink and learn of local happenings in Weeping Willow. As expected of the hour it was full of people.

Julia stayed one night at the inn, and she already hated it along with this town. The very first thing that stood out to her was the fact that she hadn't seen a single non-human among the populace and that was never a good sign. She was sitting alone in a table further away from most of the patrons but close enough to be able to hear if anything interesting comes off.

"What do you want?" She heard suddenly.

It was the waitress, though in the Northern Realms they are mostly called wenches, she was a thirteen year old lass with dark brown hair, matching eyes and a rather well developed for her age body, wearing a dress a little too revealing for work in a tavern. Yes, she was the same one that served her yesterday night as well.

"Are you deaf? I ask if you'll take anything!" Her tone was worse than before.

"A Nilfgaardian Lemon or the closest thing you have to it." Julia finally answered.

"About time" The waitress said in a low voice.

While waiting for her drink, Julia was toying with her medallion. It has become a habit by now since wherever she ordered something she was always the last one to be served for whatever reason the 'decent folk' as they constantly call themselves found to hate her. The thought angered her.

. . .

One hour had passed and Julia's expectations have been surpassed quite a bit. For once her drink came two minutes ago and instead of Nilfgaardian Lemon or anything remotely resembling a southern drink she was served a Lyrian kriek, a drink that was quite possibly sixty-four years old. Second, the only 'interesting' things she learned was that the innkeeper was also the waitresses father, that the local market is the target of the 'golden-haired imp', that some Voltaire's son is not his son and that the people of this town are superstitious idiots that believe that black birds are messengers of death. Finally, that the reason for the absence of non-humans was the Redanian mage-hunters that after burn the local herbalist they decided to also burn the local elves and dwarves for good measure, every man, woman and child that they find. And if that wasn't good enough after new self-appointed councilor Sigismund Dijkstra started sending a suspiciously large number of the most 'faithful' straight to the front during the third war with Nilfgaard, the mage-hunters choose to stay and make sure that Weeping Willow will remain a 'decent town' for 'decent folk' only, as its personal guard and that the local folk were more than happy about that turn of events.

Her mind was wondering and her head felt dizzy, the Lyrian Kriek was as old as she feared.

"Well, well, look who's here." She heard.

The voice came from the man at the table in the front. She remember him, he was the one that stopped her on the town's entrance to inspect her. Tall, still not as tall as her, but taller than the rest of his friends, broad shoulders, bald with a scar that started from the left side of his mouth and ended on the back of his neck, even dizzy from the expired drink it was impossible to forget that face. What was his name again? Bolek, Bolo, Bollock? She couldn't suppress a small giggle while thinking about it, but she was sure he introduced himself yesterday.

He came to her table and sat opposite of her.

"Good evening, Bollock, did you get tired of all the local beauties in the pigsty and decided to come try your luck with me? I'm flattered." Julia said with a half-smile. His friends from the front table were laughing.

"It's Bolo! And I wouldn't touch an ugly cunt like you even if you were the last woman alive in this sphere, I'll sooner stick it to a grave hag." Bolo said angrily.

While the waitress was passing by them with a disk full of tankards, he grabbed her suddenly and forced her to his own knee.

"Fortunately the Eternal Fire has graced us with a sphere which provides a lot of ways to tame the flames in our hearts and our pants." Bolo said while grabbing the lass's left breast. Julia could see that she was distressed, though she tried to hide it. This was one of the very few moments in her life that she felt lucky for having no bust.

Julia's grip on her medallion was tightening. She didn't like the sight in front of her. The fact that Bolo's friends, who were simply laughing in amusement before, were now laughing in applause didn't help things nor that the rest of the patrons simply ignore the sight. "This thing happens every night." She though.

"Aleksandra, what the hell are you doing, girl?!" The innkeeper barked behind the counter. He was a plain-looking but rather unpleasant man around his thirties.

"Again? Stop dallying with the men and get this mess cleaned up!"

"Ye-Yes, father." The girl said, all her nerve from before had vanished and she sounded almost wimpy. She ran to a room behind the counter.

"So what is this about now, another inspection?" Julia asked dejectedly, she didn't pay much attention to her appearance but she didn't like to be called ugly to her face, especially by a hypocrite who wasn't that good-looking himself.

"Actually, yes it is." Bolo answered. Remembering the previous inspection brought a bad taste in Julia's mouth. Funny, how he was calling her an 'ugly cunt' now, but he had no problem grabbing her backside yesterday during said inspection, she initially went along with it but she finally had enough of it and hexed him to 'go sleep with the pigs', she now wished she had switched the word 'sleep' for something more appropriate.

"Aren't you off-duty?" She asked, then, she realized that his eyes were fixed on her medallion. The waitress return from the room with a mop and started cleaning the alcohol from the floor.

"Hoi lass, bring my boys one more round to drink, Gawel's treat." Bolo said to the waitress.

"Fuck you, Bolo!" The man who obviously was Gawel answered from the front table.

For some reason the waitress's face darkened even more than when Bolo was fondling her. Bolo's attention once again returned to Julia. "Nice little bauble you've got there." He started.

"It's not for sale."

"Looks awfully similar to the one that Witcher that came by a week ago was wearing, same silver chain, same unusual metal, even the shaped angles are similar." Bolo said in an accusatory tone.

"Sleeping in pigsties, getting agitated over a simple cock joke and showing interest in jewelry. Be careful Bolo, you may end up in the next pyre." Julia said in a complete monotone, she could see the shadow of a smile in the waitress's face.

Bolo suddenly grabbed her left hand.

"Or maybe you will." He said, his black eyes meeting hers. His stare was threatening.

"Let go of my hand."

"Where did you get that medallion?"

"What is it to you?" While saying that, Julia was reaching with her right arm for a dagger in the back of her belt. Bolo didn't seem to have noticed.

"I'll tell you what is. It's a Witcher's medallion. This means two things: that either you killed one of them and took it, which I doubt, or that you are one of those freaks yourself."

"A She-Witcher? Yeah, no, there is no such thing, which means…"

"You expect me to believe that a woman managed to kill a Witcher? Back when the fatherland was under Radovid's rule, I killed one those freaks myself." Upon hearing this Julia try her best not to betray any feelings she could show with her limited spectrum of emotions. Bolo reached with his left hand in his pocket and pull out a medallion similar to hers. Julia recognized it. It was the emblem of the School of the Griffin. "The whoreson killed eight of my men. Eight! Before we managed to get him, I cleaved his head in two personally. We didn't even burn his carcass, bastard didn't deserve the honor." Bolo continued. Julia was now suppressing the desire to open his throat right here and now.

"I would have done the same to that viper that came by a week ago if the mayor was not so adamant about getting rid of that beast that prowls the forest, and look what that got him. Fucker walked away with his coin and left us the beast to deal with."

She finally had enough, and with a swift movement stabbed her dagger in the table right between the middle and third fingers of his left hand, the blade didn't cut him deeply but it did drew blood, Bolo had his eyes wide in utter shock. The sudden burst of adrenaline was already clearing her head. The waitress step back in terror and pretty much everyone in the inn have their eyes on them.

After a moment of silence, Julia stood up and bent forward, bringing her face closer to his, her blue eyes meeting his.

"You want to test me, Bolo?" She said with a smile. "You want to see… If I can kill someone… And how?" Julia continued in a flirtatious tone for no other reason than to mess with him, all the while toying with the dagger, slightly moving it with her fingers in a suggestive manner, to divert his attention between it and her and allow her a few glances to his friends at the front table. Four men all armed, three with swords, one with a crossbow, unloaded.

"So? What do you say?" She continued, coming closer to his face "You… And me… Outside?" Bolo's eyes which were previously moving between the dagger and her face were now looking straight in her eyes.

"Enough!" The innkeeper's voice was heard after a moment of silence.

"This is a decent establishment! You are both scaring my patrons!" The innkeeper said while aiming a crossbow at their direction, more specifically, perhaps unintentionally, at Bolo's direction.

"Fuck off, Gustaw or your establishment and your patrons would be the least of your worries!" Bolo answered angrily.

"You couldn't event shoot a drunk jackass, so put that thing back in your asshole!" He continued. Julia saw that the innkeeper's hands were shaking.

"Shut up Bolo!" The innkeeper said. His voice was getting tenser.

"You don't have the stones to even take on anyone who is not half -" Before Bolo managed to finish his sentence the bolt was launched on his direction, Julia managed to push him out of its way just in time. He fell on his back on the floor while the bolt was stuck in the wooden wall, some of the patrons started running outside and the waitress have pretty much frozen in place with the mop in her hands.

"You fucking prick…" Bolo said as soon as he stood up and then run straight to the innkeeper's direction, his face full of anger. The innkeeper attempted to flee but Julia threw the dagger in front of him, breaking his momentum. Bolo catch up with him, grabbed him from the back, and violently throw him on the floor. "S-Sorry it was an accid-" was the last thing the innkeeper said before Bolo proceeded to repeatedly punching him. Nobody was even making an attempt to go help him, not even his daughter. "Did nobody like him?" Julia wondered while sipping from a mug of one of the patrons that fled. It was Redanian Lager "Not bad!" she said loudly.

After finally Bolo was done beating the innkeeper up, he came up with his crossbow in hand and throw it to one of his friends. "Your lucky day Artur, another one for your collection." He said. Artur grabbed it cheerily like a kid getting his hands on his first slingshot.

"Hey" Julia heard Bolo's voice, she turn to face him.

"Ehm… Thank you. For saving me" He said, his voice was… calmer somehow. That was unexpected, in a pleasant way.

"I was going for a punch" Julia said only to realize how stupid that sounded. Mixing a long expired beer with a different one was a bad idea even for her advanced metabolism.

"With an open palm?" Bolo asked with a chuckle.

Julia avoided his gaze and unintentionally turned to see that the innkeeper's daughter was only now helping him on his feet. His head was bloodied, his nose appeared to have been broken and his lips opened on the right side. She couldn't suppress a small smile while looking at him.

"You fucking red-headed foreign whore." The innkeeper said, angrily looking at her.

"All this is your fault! Get the fuck off my inn and never come back or I'll chase you off with a cleaver!"

"Try it. I will enjoy seeing you get beaten up by a woman as well." Bolo told the innkeeper with a smile.

Instead of answering Julia went and picked up her dagger from the wall, and after cleaning it with a piece of cloth in her satchel, returned it to its scabbard in her belt. She then turn to leave.

While moving towards the exit, Bolo grabbed her by the forearm. "Wait a second." He said.

"Don't touch me!" Snarled Julia, releasing her arm with a swift movement.

"Gustaw, is that a way to treat a lady that was on the road for days?" Bolo said looking at the innkeeper and his daughter.

"What!?" Julia, the innkeeper, the waitress and two of Bolo's friends said simultaneously. Julia never thought that five people could think and say the same thing at the same time.

"I think you should be thankful that she is actually willing to pay you. Let me guess: third room, on the far left side, thirty-five and hundred crowns, said that this was his cheapest room?" Bolo asked Julia.

"He also said that the price was non-negotiable since he has four mouths to feed." Julia answered.

"He is lying. The wench is his only child."

"So I've heard."

"Listen you maggot, you'll give the lady the first room at normal price, namely two hundred." Bolo said to the innkeeper with a rather creepy smile which his scar made even creepier. "Are we understood, Gustaw?" he finished with a tone that made clear that it wasn't a request.

"Go to hell! This is my inn!" The innkeeper answered, trying to sound threatening, and failing, due to his clearly pained expression.

Bolo walked over to him and slapped him hard enough that he fell on the floor once again. He then went on one knee, grabbed him by the hair, and brought his face closer to his. "Are we understood, Gustaw?" He repeated with a grin.

"Yes… we are." The innkeeper said in a mixture of dejection, anger and, mostly, pain.

"I knew we wound come to an understanding." Bolo said in a fake happy tone while, gently this time around, slapping him twice in the left cheek.

Julia came by them. "You didn't need to do this… but thank you all the same." She said to Bolo awkwardly, she wasn't used to expressing gratitude since encounters with the locals at inns more often than not ended with violence directed at her, at least in the Northern Realms. "You should put some spirit into it" she continued.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"In the cut." Julia pointed with her eyes.

"Heh, it's nothing, I've had worst."

"I bet." She said with a smile looking at his scar. She then turn to the innkeeper "The key" she asked, the innkeeper comply with a frown and Julia in turn return the key of her room.

"Well, goodnight lady and gentlemen." Julia said and 'bowed', as clumsily as she could muster, in the off-chance that someone might recognize her southern stance in the, now, almost empty inn. She went up the stairs, eager to move to her new room.

 _"It seems my luck starts to turn around a bit… About time!"_ She thought while walking the stairs. It was a rare luxury for her to have a bed to sleep compare to the cold soil or the occasional tree so she rarely complained about the prices. The only time that she could trade clean sheets for earth's embrace was when the moon was full, as beautiful as it was from the windows of the Amell Mountains… She immediately suppressed that memory, least she once again feel her heart racing. She couldn't help but wondered if her 'brothers' suffered from the same defect or that Joseph simply botched her Trial of the Grasses on purpose because he didn't like her. He was perfectly capable of that. Only three out of ten girls survived it anyway and unlike the rest of the male-only Schools, which their main means of finding new members was by invoking the Law of Surprise -to take a boy as a reward for a job done- the School of the Raven was not picky: street urchins, unwanted daughters of nobles or born in brothels, slave girls, deformed or mentally handicapped, the School of the Raven took anybody they could find, so even if she died during her Trial it won't damage their numbers and her body could have been studied for improvements for future Trials.

. . .

She found herself in front of the door to her new quarters.

She was tired and her head felt heavy, though she wasn't sure if it was due to alcohol or her own thoughts…

She just wanted to lay and rest, ideally after a bath.

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus Story: Joseph's Reports**

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/

Subject eighty-nine

 **Procedure:** Experimental, Purpose: Regeneration

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** Third

 **Cause:** Internal hemorrhaging

Subject reacted poorly to mutagens harvested from the Ogroid sub-species known as Rock Trolls. Instead of the desired effect, the mutation resulted in pointy 'rock' solid growths which pierced the subject's soft organs.

Further experiments needed.

/

Subject ninety

 **Procedure:** Standard

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** Tenth

 **Cause:** Cardiac arrest

Subject never recovered

/

Subject ninety-one

 **Procedure:** Standard

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** Tenth

 **Cause:** Brain damage

Subject euthanized

/

Subject ninety-two

 **Procedure:** Standard

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** Fifth

 **Cause:** Dehydration

Subject lost due to excessive emesis.

Side note: Alchemy Instructor Elwira mentioned similarities between subjects ninety-two, eighty and eighty-one. She also suggested minor alterations to the Trial of the Grasses regarding the application of Wyvern spinal fluid.

Suggestion dismissed.

/

Subject ninety-three

 **Procedure:** Experimental

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** The day before

 **Cause:** Suicide

Subject consumed two vials of beggartick extract it probably stole from the repository.

/

Subject ninety-four

 **Procedure:** Experimental, Purpose: Poison resistance

 **Status:** Failure

 **Day after Trial:** Sixth

 **Cause:** Hemoglobin

Third experimentation with Manticore mutagens resulted in failure. Despite showing promise, the subject's body rejected the treatment. My theory that subjects with rare genetic defects, like ninety-four's, can make better candidates for new mutations needs more testing.

Further experiments needed.

~ Reports by Joseph of Vicovaro, Master of the Trials of the School of the Raven


	2. Looking for work - Interesting sightings

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* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 2: Looking for work - part 1: Interesting sightings**

* * *

It was early in the afternoon in the town of Weeping Willow. The sun was still up in the sky and there was a gentle breeze in the air that made her walk through the streets a pleasure.

During her walk, Julia passed by various shops: a butcher's, a shoemaker's, a textile, and even a toy store. _"This town is bigger than I originally thought."_ She thought while walking. She also passed by a small tavern and walked close by the local market but as far away as she could from it. Despite the hour, the market was still rather crowded and, while much better than a few hours ago, she still felt her head heavy from yesterday night and the idea of passing through a road choked full of people and screaming merchants wasn't sounding good right about now. Or she said so to herself.

 _"Am I lying to myself now? The truth is simple. I just hate the sight of many humans in one place."_ She thought bitterly. Humans were her main source of income or at least the most profitable source of income so she couldn't be picky about her employers, especially now that she had no work for at least two weeks and only four-hundred crowns in her purse.

. * . * . * .

While walking for a while, Julia came across another tavern that made both the one she passed a while ago and The Ugly Duckling look like simple village huts.

The Traveling Pipers, the sign read. It was a big and rather colorful place, in stark contrast to the rest of the neighborhood, with tables and chairs in a big open space in front of the establishment that was well ordered with lampions that were hanging from ropes in a circle-like pattern, meant to illuminate the night in many bright colors. The tavern's design reminded her of the ones in Etolia, though unfortunately without the smells of the Great Sea, with a bit of Toussaint through in the mix.

"If someone wanted to throw a big celebration, this is the place." She said looking at the tavern and noticed a young woman that was tending at the tables, clearly preparing for opening. She must have been at least twenty, slender, a little too slender in fact, wearing a white and brown dress that was pretty much the opposite of what the waitress working at the Ugly Duckling was wearing – covering most of her skin. "Excuse me?" She asked the young woman.

The woman turned to face her "Yes. What can I do for you?" The woman's voice was weak.

"You can give me directions. That will do."

"Alright" The woman answered in the same weak tone. She didn't seem to pay much attention to Julia. Otherwise, at the very least, she would recognize her as a foreigner and be a pain about it. Weeping Willow was big, but not big or cosmopolitan enough so that its people won't know outsiders when they see them, and she stood out like a sore thumb: Tall, blood-red hair, wearing trousers instead of a dress and carry a sword in her back. There was no more standing out than that.

"Can you tell me where the mayor's house is?"

"Yeah."

"So where it is?"

"By the Eerie River."

"And where is that?" Julia's said in a tone that pretty much made clear that her patience started to run thin.

"There." The young woman said pointing in the direction behind Julia, in the same weak monotone as before. She didn't seem to have taken the hint.

"Sweetheart, I need a little more information than that." Julia managed to say in a composed enough tone. While frustrated at her antics she could see that the young woman wasn't doing it on purpose. "In case you didn't notice, I'm not from around here." She added.

"Oh… I am sorry." The woman said, looking down.

"Don't be sorry, be -" –– "Fuck off, you little magpie!" Julia was interrupted by a 'really' loud voice. Another young woman burst through the tavern screaming at the top of her lungs while chasing a raven with a broom, her face was probably one of the angriest she has seen in a while, barring yesterday night's 'charming' fellows. Her yelling attracted a lot of attention from the passersby.

While chasing the raven off the tables the young woman tripped at least three times and every time she stood up and resumed her chase with an even more pissed expression than before and swearing profusely. The sight was hilarious not only to Julia, who at least kept her amusement quiet, but also to the people that gathered at the commotion, laughing all the while.

The beautiful bird passed through Julia and the quiet young woman and rested atop one of the lampions, looking down on his pursuer he cawed triumphantly and swore at her. Julia couldn't suppress her laugh.

"That's it, you are dead you fucking pest! I'll shoot you dead! And then eat you!" The angry woman ran back into the tavern as she said that.

"You better fly away, pretty one. She is coming back with something that sounds capable of shooting you down." Julia spoke to the raven with some difficulty. She didn't remember how to properly caw to signify 'incoming projectile' as she had quite a time to properly speak to one.

"You speak our language?" The raven cawed and tilted its head to signify his curiosity. The quiet woman beside Julia seemed to have noticed the communication taking place in front of her but didn't say anything, she probably find it absurd.

The loud woman returned from inside the tavern currying a simple recurve bow and a quiver full of arrows. The raven scurried away as soon as he spotted her, that didn't dissuade the woman however. She drew an arrow and readied her bow to take a shot, a smile on her face, eyes wide opened, and her position made it obvious to Julia that she knew how to aim properly.

Before the angry woman managed to release the arrow, Julia dropped her already lowered sword at her left foot. The woman jerked back, the arrow was catapulted very far away from its intended target and stuck on the roof of nearby house. She dropped her bow and fall in something like a half-kneeling position with pain clear in her face.

The quiet woman run by her side "Sister, are you okay?" she asked while helping her to stand up, her voice for once had volume, compared to her previous weak whispers.

"I am fine, Romina." The angry woman answered with a grimace.

Now that they were standing side by side, Julia noticed the resemblance between the two women: same dark blue eyes, same black hair, though Romina's were unkempt while her sister's were tied up in a bun and while Romina was slightly paler they had the same light skin. They were twins but one could not tell that on first glance, they had completely different idiosyncrasies and even dressed differently. Romina's sister was wearing a simple white blouse and wore trousers -the only woman so far that Julia had seen wearing them in this town- along with high boots of elven design. Julia didn't need to guess much to know where she got them.

"What the fuck, you looking at?" Romina's sister barked. She seemed to have noticed that Julia's eyes were etched on her elven boots. She stood up with the same pissed expression she had when she was chasing the beautiful bird and came closer to Julia. "You did this on purpose!" she continued, angrily looking at the sheathed sword that fall on her foot.

"I am so sorry. It was an accident." Julia said in the most adorable and innocent tone she could muster while picking up her sword from the ground.

"Yeah, right, you just fucking happen to drop your fucking sword, right on my foot, right before I shoot the fucking magpie?" Romina's sister barked coming closer to Julia, every one of her paces expressing as much anger as her face. The gathered crowd's laughs had pretty much died out.

"It was a raven not a magpie." Julia said in a sophisticated enough tone that she was sure Alchemy Instructor Elwira would be proud of.

"What?"

"Despite both being members of the Corvidae family their differences are obvious: Ravens are the largest of the family, approximately one and a half times larger than grey crows and they are almost always completely black. Magpies are smaller, sport a long tail and their bodies are black and white with blue-tinged wings." Julia spoke in the same sophisticated tone as before, almost quoting her dead Instructor, though with far less detail or embellishment than dear old Elwira. Romina's sister grimaced and raised an eyebrow, looking confused. The crowd's reaction to the scene varied greatly. Some people were laughing loudly or quietly, some were confused and others were indifferent enough to leave.

"Are you making fun of me, you cunt?!" Romina's sister yelled after a while, her hands clenching into fists.

"Catfight! Catfight!" Some young men among the gathered crowd were yelling repeatedly, and, after some time not just them.

Julia knew where this was going, even without the 'cheering' crowd. The young woman wanted a fight and it was written all over her face that no word will dissuade her. Men gave her the exact same look when they wanted to 'teach her a lesson', usually with the added threat of rape.

After a moment of silence between the two, Julia finally answered with a fake smile "You can tell? And here I thought you lacked a brain."

Romina's sister raised her right fist to strike. Julia swiftly stepped to the left and avoided her fist, the momentum caused Romina's sister to lose her balance and stagger. After regained her footing, Romina's sister turn around, her eyes wide in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. After taking a second to recover from the shock, Romina's sister, move in to strike once again. Three more fists were lunched towards Julia, first from the left, second from the right, third from the right again. The first two she dodged, still firmly holding into her sword, but during the third one, Julia grabbed the young woman by the wrist, flipped her over her shoulder and threw her to the ground on her back. "Fuck!" Romina's sister cursed loudly, pain etched all over her face.

While three young men in front of the crowd were cheering, most of the rest were distressed by the sight.

"Guards!" Romina yelled. Her voice loud enough to match her sister's this time around.

"What's happening Rena? I can hear you from…" Julia heard from the direction of the tavern. The voice belonged to a slim young man. He was sixteen, maybe seventeen with black hair similar to the twin sisters, though his were much lighter and shorter, probably a relative. "…what happened here?" The young man continued with wide eyes, looking at the grounded angry woman. He ran to her, to help her on her feet.

"I am fine!" Romina's sister rebuked, slapping the young man's hand away and try to rise on her own. Even Julia found this lack of gratitude wrong.

It was a straggle, but Romina's sister managed to get back on her feet, still obviously in pain. While hating her attitude, Julia couldn't help but admire the young woman's determination to stand on her own.

 _Humans were soft things after all._

"Well, you are tough." Julia said clapping. She didn't mean it as a mockery, but the young woman took it as that judging by her look. Regardless, she didn't attempt anything else.

"Are you sure you are alright Rena?" the young man asked.

"Told you already" Romina's sister once again answered indignantly. She picked up her quiver and bow from the ground and after strapping the former on her back and looping the later over her shoulder she turn to leave.

Before even taking her fifth step, Rena turned to face the crowd "Fuck off, all of you. Show's over, freaks. Go back to your houses. Don't you have anything better to do? The Traveling Pipers ain't taking care of your pipes today!" She said with bravado, no embarrassment or shame in her voice. Just as confident and loud as before she found herself on the ground a moment ago. While Julia hated people who picked fights out of nowhere, she hated people that gathered to 'enjoy the show' even more.

"What are you talking about? We are opening." The young man said raising his voice enough to be heard.

"No, we're not." Rena waved her hand dismissively and resumed walking.

"I am the man of the house now. We are opening!" The young man said with emphasis. But it was obvious that he said it to hear it himself.

Rena turned to face him as soon as she heard him. Her stare was… ugly somehow. It wasn't anger like before more like… contempt?

After a while, Rena walked towards him with a rather surprisingly fast pace. As soon as she was in front of him, she grabbed both his shoulders and kneed him to the groin. The young man fell to the ground in pain, clutching his injured testicles. Julia gasped, of all the things that could have happened, that, she didn't expect. Any appreciation she might had had for the young woman has pretty much vanished.

"Man of the house my ass." Rena spat. "Till old-man Voltaire decides to put his head out of his ass, I'm gonna make sure we ain't starve!" She added. The look on her face gave Julia the impression that she was holding back tears.

The young men in front of the crowd were laughing, loudly. There were, now, a lot less people amidst it, Julia noticed. Some of the people that stayed were clearly feeling sorry for the injured young man, judging by their looks. Despite this, nobody made an attempt to help the young man. Romina was just staring at him but there wasn't any pity in her face, more like indifference.

Julia was tempted to help the young man, and teach the young woman a lesson in good manners. But she didn't. Humans were very unpredictable beings and generally reacted poorly to outsiders meddling in their businesses, as Julia had learned from experience. It wouldn't be the first time she tried to help someone out of naiveté only to end up a scapegoat for their inherent need for conflict. Rena was already half a mile away by the time Julia decided to take her eyes from the injured young man and spare her a glance.

"What is happening here?" A voice was heard. The now small crowd started dispersing and making way to four guards, two armed with halberds, two with swords, one with a knife strapped to his belt. "What's this commotion all about?" The guard that was obviously leading the group asked. His eyes fell on the young man on the ground. "You did this?" The leftmost guard wielding a halberd asked Julia.

"Yes. I am also responsible for the little cloud that will form on top of you in a minute and rain down to your bald head." Julia mocked him, making some silly gestures as well, though she didn't know if the halberd-wielding guard was indeed bald due to his kettle hat.

The guard removed his kettle hat, revealing a mop of brown hair, and searched his head with a worried look as if to check if he has lost his hair. Julia laughed in a rather tactless manner.

The guard that was leading the group slapped him in the back of the head. "Are you soft in the head?" The leading guard barked "She is fucking with you, you idiot!" The guard put his hat back quickly with a serious expression.

"You did this, woman?" The leading guard asked.

Julia rolled her eyes. "No." She answered in a bored tone.

The guard didn't seem to believe her. "Really, now?" He asked in a more suspicious tone than before, his eyes at Julia's sword.

"Yes."

"Aha. So you did it!" The leading guard exclaimed with pride in his voice.

"So you are the smart one of the bunch." Julia said with a laugh.

"You are coming with us. Captain Czcibor will see to you." The leading guard said with his hand on his sword's hilt.

"She ain't done a thing, sir." The injured young man's voice was heard after a moment.

He was back on his feet, still clutching to his wounded manhood with one hand, and using the other to hold on to one of the chairs of the tables to stay on his feet "It was a misunderstanding. My sister did that." He continued. Julia was surprised by how upfront the young man was about it.

"Your sister?" The leading guard asked with a questioning look.

"Family matters. I'm sure you've heard." The young man said that in a manner that seemed to imply that the guard knew what he was talking about.

"Alright boys, we are going back on our patrol!" The leading guard commanded.

"Yes sir." One of the guards said without any energy in his voice. The rest complied without any objections.

"What?" Julia said under her breath. She didn't expect the whole subject to be dropped just like that by the guards, especially by the one leading them.

. . .

Once the crowd had completely gone and the guards were out of sight, Julia walked closer to the young man. He now seemed much better with no need for support from a chair. "Thank you, lad." She said with a smile.

"I-It was nothing" the young man said somewhat uncomfortably, probably still hurting.

"No, it was many things. Usually my encounters with local guards are… unpleasant." Julia was vague to the young man. Her words were a monumental understatement as she had been a wanted woman in Lyria, Nastrog and before her 'Fucking', Cintra, though with the possible exception of the last one, probably none of those places remember her anymore.

"Why? You don't look dangerous." The young man said looking at her. Once his eyes fell on hers, he averted his gaze. Julia realized then that the young man wasn't uncomfortable due to pain but rather because of her and that the red on his face was in fact a blush. She couldn't help but find his embarrassment at least a little bit endearing, if unusual.

"I-I mean you don't look threatening. We had some pretty scary people around these days."

"Like who?"

"The Crinfrid Reavers… Or that witchman that was here eight days ago." The young man cringed, still averting his eyes. Julia noticed that his face was even more disgusted at the mentioning of the latter, and she didn't like that, but she was willing to ask the young man a few more questions now that the subject has been brought up, and possibly learn more about the monster of the forest as well as what transpired during her 'brother's' hunt.

"I heard about it. A Hexer came by your town, right?" Julia inquired.

"…A what now?" The young man asked confused. Julia berated herself internally. She had forgotten that common folk knew things with one name and one name only and never cared to learn anything else or change their way of thinking.

"A witchman, that came by your town to kill your monster. A guard named Bolo told me parts of the story."

"Kill our monster. Hmph, that's funny. The whoreson cheated us and we paid for it! What was Henryk thinking?" The young man said angrily, this time he did look at Julia, but lowered his eyes again once he said his piece. The young man may have given extra emphasis on his curse, but Julia's curiosity was piqued at the "we paid for it" part.

"You pitched in for the contract?"

"Huh?"

"For the forest monster? Though, I heard that the town's mayor has taken care of it. Or I heard wrong?"

"No you've heard right. Our town trades in wood, which we take from the White Forest and with the monster that came about, we cannot keep the trade going."

"So woodwork is the town's lifeblood. I am guessing this must be pretty important for the mayor."

"Not just Henryk but the entire town as well. We live very close to the forest and that sort of thing never happened before. It had always been safe." Henryk was probably the mayor's name. Julia realized that the young man stopped averting his eyes and looked more comfortable. Speaking with her probably helped him ease up.

"No forest is ever completely safe, even without monsters. There are always wolves, bears, snakes, many creatures to be wary off."

"Not in the White Forest. Before that monster came, any man or woman that went there always returned safe and sound." The young man seemed pretty certain in his claims, not an inch of doubt in his voice or his eyes.

"You mean to tell me that no predators live in that forest?"

"Pre-ta -" –– "Any animals that eat humans." Julia interrupted the young man as she rephrased her question, her voice came out more irritated than she intended.

"No… Never." While the young man's voice came out as low there was certainty in it. He seemed more confused by Julia's skepticism, if anything.

"So what kinds of animals have you encounter in the forest? No way is it home only to trees, flowers and insects."

"Rabbits, deer, squirrels…" –– "Squirrels?" Julia raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah squirrels. They are these little mouse-like creatures with the big tails that like -" –– "I know what a squirrel is, lad!" Julia interrupted rather abruptly. The irritation in her voice was clear this time.

"S-Sorry, you just seemed curious and…" The young man said with his eyes down. He seemed hurt by Julia's tone.

She felt a little guilty about it. This young man was the only human in this town that was at least intentionally trying to help her, even if he was a bit slow to grasp at things. "No. I'm sorry…" Julia said in a friendly tone.

"I was actually curious if they are any Scoia'tael in the forest: The non-human terrorists. They are sometimes called squirrels" Julia formed her question as simply as she could think it would make sense. "…or any dryads?" She added, hoping she didn't need to explain in simple terms what a dryad was as well.

"No. We never had any Scoia'tael or eerie wives in the White Forest. Not even during the wars with the black ones. I guess the forest is blessed by the gods after all."

"I… see." Julia's mind wondered as she spoke.

 _So the forest was completely devoid of predators, whether natural or post-Conjunction ones. The Scoia'tael had never taken refuge in such a supposedly safe place, despite having taken refuge in even more hostile places. Dryads ain't defending the forest against the humans that log it for wealth – the mere absence of predators should be reason enough for dryads of nearby regions to move in to defend it since there is nothing to stop the humans from chopping the entire forest down, yet while coming to the town through the western gate, Julia could see its trees, all approximately the same height. And finally, the Nilfgaardian armies never lunched a surprise attack on Weeping Willow, despite the forest being an ideal place with the ideal position for a night attack from the north._

Julia was alarmed. The whole picture was way too idyllic for her to believe. Even the safest forests, completely untouched by the Conjunction of the Spheres, were not devoid, at least, of their natural predators and a forest could never properly function with humans effectively disrupting its balance, completely unobstructed. The only logical explanation she could come up with was that some force must be interfering with the forest's ecosystem.

"Are you alright?" She heard.

"Huh?"

"You fall quiet suddenly. Did I say something wrong again?" The young man's voice brought her to reality this time.

"No… I was thinking something."

"Do you always do that when you are thinking?" The young man asked with a smile.

"Do… What?"

"You put your finger under your chin while your head is lowered a bit, as if to support it. Like this." The young man said happily and imitated the posture he claimed Julia adopted, while sitting on top of a table.

Julia averted her eyes in embarrassment. _She definitely looked better than that, and certainly less childish!_ "I… No. …I don't do it like that." She said, in a less than convincing tone.

"I think it's cute… That thing you do." The young man said uncomfortably, his blush from before has returned, but his eyes were still on her. It seems he overcame that problem at least.

Julia's answer came in the form of a smile.

The young man wasn't the only one that was overcoming an obstacle, however. Up until now Julia tried to be subtle with her questions but now she wanted to know more about the situation. Especially after what the young man had told her about the White Forest, the situation already was far from ordinary. Furthermore he seemed to trust her enough to answer her questions without any push.

"Who did you lose to the monster?" She asked without hesitation.

"W-What? W-What did you say?"

"You lost someone important to it, didn't you?"

"N-No. Why y-you ask that… all of a sudden?" The young man stumbled on his words. Julia could already tell that he wasn't very good at lying.

"You said that you paid for the mayor's mistake and since you just told me that he was the one to take care of the reward for the monster's head, you obviously didn't speak about money."

"I-I was speaking meta- meta-".

"Metaphorically"

"Yes, that's it."

"You can trust me, lad. I am not go-" –– "Why all these questions?" Julia was interrupted suddenly by none other than Romina's voice. She was looking at them from the nearby table while holding on one of the chairs. Her stare was cold.

She walked towards them. "Why do you care about these things?" Romina asked looking at Julia, her voice sharper than before. She must have heard their conversation.

Julia didn't even notice that she was around at all this whole time, as the young woman didn't exactly leave much of an impression. _"I should be more careful about such events in the future."_ Julia reprimanded herself internally.

"Romina, I am sorry. I make you do all the work." The young man said standing. He looked around. Julia also noticed that the whole place was almost ready for opening.

"I'll make it up to you, I -" –– "Don't worry about it." Romina interrupted the young man without even taking her eyes off Julia.

"Listen, stranger. I don't know how it is where you are from, but we value our privacy in Weeping Willow." Romina said, coming closer. Her voice just as sharp, but there was still a hint that she was making an effort.

"Didn't know that misfortune, especially when it is brought upon by outside forces, was considered a private matter" Julia said with her left hand on her waist.

"Well, here it is." Romina came even closer.

"You know… Tchk. I would almost feel intimidated… If you weren't more than a whole head shorter than me." Julia took a step closer this time.

"Romina what's the harm in -" –– "Mikail, don't you see what she is doing here. Simply because she is the first woman to ever come talk to you, doesn't mean you can go around and speak about our family problems to any foreign woman in the hopes that she might open her legs to you. She probably does that on daily basis to get what she wants." Romina interrupted the young man once again. The tone of her voice may have been lower than the usual examples, but for Julia it was quite clear that she was moments away from hysterics.

Julia slapped her forehead, loud enough to get the attention of both Romina and Mikail, and started laughing at the unnecessary drama. Her laughs draw some attention from nearby people.

"Mikail…" Julia said as her laughing fit was ending "…tell me. Do all women on Weeping Willow are this nice combination of 'cunning' and 'stupid', or I am just **_that_** unlucky?" Julia asked the young man in an amused tone. Romina grimaced with her eyes etched at her. Mikail tried his best to suppress his own laugh and, once he saw that Romina wasn't looking, he nodded at Julia.

"We are opening for work as you can see, so I suggest you be on your way if you are not going to sit and order anything. Time is money." Romina said to Julia, the cold look on her eyes had returned and her voice was once again a monotone.

Julia ignored her and turned to Mikail "Am I really the first woman that came to you?" She asked in a playful manner. Mikail looked down in obvious shame. "Well, I am surprised. You're a fine young man. If anything, I'm shocked that women aren't throwing themselves at you all the time to check if you are as gifted 'below' the waist as you are 'above' it." Julia continued in the same playful tone, her eyes 'below' Mikail's waist. "And from what I was lucky enough to witness up until now… You quite obviously are." She said, coming closer to him.

Mikail, rather instinctively, used one of the wooden chairs to cover his manhood. His face was as red as a tomato but he didn't take his dark brown eyes away from Julia.

"Get lost or I am calling the guards!" Romina yelled suddenly, loud enough to attract the attention of most nearby people. The anger in her face made it almost indistinguishable from her twin's.

"Mother of Night. Fine… " Julia sighed. Not wanting to deal again with crowds of humans or guards again, she decided to once again ask about the information she came to the tavern for in the first place. "Just tell me where the mayor's house is, and I am going."

"I told you it's by the Eerie River. Now go." Romina answered angrily. It was clear that this time around she was intentionally being unhelpful.

"No, you didn't. You were mumbling, and I told you, I don't know where that is."

"Well, too bad. Deal with it."

"It's straight from here." Mikail interjected in their conversation, pointing at the same direction behind Julia that Romina originally pointed. "You go straight ahead from here till you end up in front of the Eerie River, then turn left and you will see the bridge to the other side. Go to the other side of the River, turn left and then continue straight ahead but stay close by River. The mayor's house is on the right, you can't miss it. It's the biggest house in town with two guards always at the entrance."

"Thanks, Mikail. That was more helpful you than you might think." Julia said with an honest smile "You know, before I leave this town I might stop by here. It is a nice tavern."

"Please do." Mikail said happily. Romina glared at him.

Julia bid them both farewell and went on her way towards the mayor's house.

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Corina's explorations**

* * *

Marian: Joseph. How are youuuuuu?

(Noise from a chair… I think?)

Joseph: Good Morning, Sword Instructor. High spirits as ever, I see.

Marian: Sun's almost up. Nothing better than an early warm up with the losers to remember the fundamentals, and see how much you have improved compared to them.

(Another sound)

Joseph: And you thought it a good idea to come straight to my office after training because…

Marian: …Because I know you are here at this hour and I missed you dearly, my dear Joseph.

Joseph: And you missed me so much that you couldn't take a bath and change your clothes before coming here? Those things are practically melting on you!

Marian: Am I distracting you, Joseph?

Joseph: And you are doing it on porp - (Slapping sound) Sit like person and not like a harlot!

Marian: You know, Joseph. Your continuous rejections start to really hurt my self-esteem. And moral is very important in our work.

Joseph: (Laughing) I am sure your self-esteem isn't hurt in the slightest, Sword Instructor. Since no man ever left this keep without passing by your room.

Marian: Lies! Complete and utter lies! Cause I am not here all the time so I couldn't have fucked every man that passed through the keep's entrance. And you definitely never passed by my room.

Joseph: We are not all sorcerers depraved, Sword Instructor.

Marian: Really? And I thought that you simply preferred men.

(Silence)

Joseph: No. I don't prefer men.

Marian: O yes, you do. You do like men, I am sure of it.

Joseph: No, I don't.

Marian: Yes, you do.

Joseph: No, I don't.

Marian: Yes, you do.

Joseph: No, I don't.

Marian: No, you don't.

Joseph: Yes, I do.

(Laughter, Marian's)

(Some silence)

(A wind-like sound… no… paper's?)

(Different sound)

Marian: Hey Joseph, check this out.

Joseph: What?

Joseph: Marian. Don't you think that it's time for you to start acting like your age?

Marian: How I like it when you call me by my name.

Joseph: I seriously cannot understand why you continue with this juvenile persona of yours. You are almost sixty.

Marian: Yet I look twenty. Thank you, Joseph.

Joseph: My intention wasn't to make you and the other strays here, forever youthful slatterns. It was to make highly efficient monster slayers so that we can conquer this hostile world for the glory of humanity. But unfortunately, I fell short on that with you as I see it: Despite your swordsmanship skills, your physical strength is no greater than that of a well-conditioned woman at her prime. Your body can take only three of the most simple of potions before you can't handle the toxicity and start vomiting blood. A whole decoction would of have killed you. And finally any attempts at exploring alternative uses for 'witch magic' resulted in multiple failures and almost the destruction of the left wing!

(Silence)

Marian: You know, Joseph. You should get out more often. (Some sound of something moving a little) This overly dark and creepy laboratory really doesn't help your already unfriendly attitude. Especially this… skeleton… why the fuck you have that here? (Some sound) And these books… they look like some demon-worshiper made them.

Joseph: Hey, don't touch…


	3. Looking for work - Lengthy conversation

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 3: Looking for work - part 2: Lengthy conversation**

* * *

Henryk, mayor of Weeping Willow, scratched his chin and yawned. He was a middle-aged man -forty-five at most- with a long nose and a pot-belly that seemed rather recent since he couldn't exactly be called fat, unlike many 'important men' that she met who didn't hesitated to abuse their privileged positions. _And why not,_ Julia thought. In the Northern Realms, authority doesn't mean responsibility. Unlike the Imperial Provinces which many people can rose to a position of authority as a reward for lifelong service to the Empire of Nilfgaard, whether they were brickmakers, farmers or even simple washerwomen, the positions of authority in the Northern Realms were hereditary with ties to the nobility, so the privileged were always privileged, worth be damned.

"So, what can I do for you lass?" The mayor asked Julia, resting his hands on the wooden desk. She was surprised not only by the simple, direct question but by the tone which it was delivered. It was just a question, no mockery nor distain in his voice.

"I heard you've got a problem with a monster in the forest."

"You've heard right. We thought it has been taken care of, till the night before yesterday. Better avoid the forest if you are heading north."

"I didn't come here for directions, mayor. I came to ask about your monster."

Upon hearing this, the mayor tilted his head forward a bit, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Why?" He asked after a while, raising an eyebrow.

"I intend to hunt it down." The mayor's face changed from a mixture of doubt and curiosity to amusement after hearing this statement.

"Tired of being alive?" asked the mayor, with a very low laugh.

"More tired of being coinless" Julia answered in a deadpan tone.

"If you are that desperate for work, there are safer ones around. Why not try serving, cooking, washing…"

"…whoring" Julia finished abruptly the mayor's sentence. He grimaced while straighten himself in his wooden chair.

"We don't have whorehouses in Weeping Willow" The mayor said in a tired tone, and while it was clearly more for effect than anything, Julia could see that the mayor was lacking sleep.

"Well, that's one safe job out" Julia said with a chuckle. "As for other three" she continued "The only places which I can work as any of these are the inn that I am currently staying and two taverns that I pass by on my way here. The first choice I don't like, because I hate the innkeeper and his daughter, and the other two have no need for extra hands since they are family businesses less than likely to hire a foreigner. Not to mention that even if one of the taverns was hiring, most likely The Traveling Pipers judging by their 'difficulties', though I doubt paying for extra hands is the help they need at the moment, do I really look like a person that stays in one place for long?"

"You have an ear for everything, I see" The mayor said in serious tone.

"Only about the thinks that interest me, mayor Henryk."

"And certain death interests you?"

"High risk, high reward. I hope."

"This is going to be a lengthy conversation" The mayor sighed and took out two chalices from a drawer in his desk. They were silver and decorated with four rubies each, in circle, the design was rather intricate, most likely a family heirloom.

"Sit lass. Lengthy conversations are better over a drink" The mayor stood up and pick up a bottle from the wooden cellaret in the corner of the room. It was a bottle of red Erveluse, an expensive wine produced in Toussaint. While sitting, Julia tried her best to hide her glee at the prospect of tasting some. It will be a welcome medication after yesterday's expired ale and the other barely decent one.

"You like Erveluse?" The mayor asked with a smile.

"Only a little. And I don't tend to drink when I am discussing business" Julia said in a tone that was more friendly than she intended. She didn't mind, she liked the mayor well enough.

"Smart move." The mayor said, returning to his chair and filling his own chalice. "Not going to lie to you. I am usually only offering good wine as a means to sweeten my dealings with pesky nobles, castellans or the occasional magnate, though, they can be more… pricky." Julia couldn't suppress her small giggle at the mayor's comment. She herself hated the aristocracy. After a moment she decided to sit.

"Kind of an irony."

"Where's the irony?"

"In the fact that you don't like nobles…" Saying that, Julia took her own empty chalice in her right hand in a gesture she saw noblewomen holding their own glasses of wine and usually swirling it. "…since you are one yourself"

"I am not a noble, lass." The mayor said with a sigh.

"Yet you are mayor of Weeping Willow, owning the biggest house in town, having your very own personal guard and having very intricate vessels for drinking your very expensive wine instead of earthen mugs" Julia said in a playful tone while toying with her chalice, circling its top with her finger. "Forgive me if I jump to conclusions" She added. The mayor answered with a pleasant if mischievous smile. Julia responded in kind.

"You really like the sound of your own voice, don't you lass" The mayor said after a while. "Have you tried singing? Songsters aren't a common sign in these parts." He added.

"Flattery, master Henryk?"

"I simply state the obvious. You have a lovely voice"

"Sorry to disappoint you, master. But my singing is akin to a chicken being choked." Julia said with a small hint of self-loathing. "Nature doesn't bless twice. You don't wish to hear me sing, believe me." She continued for added effect. It was a lie, and an unneeded one at that, but she has made a habit of embellishing on her lies whenever she said one, even small ones.

"I can't change your mind, can I?" The mayor said with a smile that expressed more disappointment than anything else and sipped from his chalice.

"No you can't, but I appreciate your concern." After said that Julia took the bottle of Erveluse from the desk and filled her own chalice.

"I thought you didn't drink when discussing business."

"Only when I am dealing with pesky nobles, castellans or magnates since they are all dicks." Julia and mayor Henryk both laugh at the same time.

"So… Are we in business?" Julia said and returned her chalice to the desk.

"Haven't issued a contract for the monster yet" Master Henryk said with a serious expression.

 _"We are back in business"_ Julia happily thought. She may have taken a liking to the mayor but that haven't changed the reasons for her visit. "Which means, I have no competition? Lucky me." She said in a cheery tone.

"We are in business." The mayor said in a tone that was livelier than his previous rather tired one, if only slightly.

He seemed intrigued by Julia as much as she was with him. But then again, his manners was already reason enough for her to like him in this backwards, superstitious and utterly hopeless land full of dimwitted barbarians. The only reason for her being in the North was the fact that the nordlings love their wars so much that any monster hunter in need of some coin, from any corner of this world, could make a small profit traveling here, since monster activity is usually on the rise after a war.

After a moment of silence the mayor spoke. "A few questions before we discuss details about the job, though." He said and sipped his wine.

"By all means." Julia said clenching her hands in a raised position and resting her head in them.

"Why, all this secrecy? You are a Witcher aren't you?"

Upon hearing this Julia's eyes widened but she managed to stay to her current position despite her surprise. Mayor Henryk was sharper than she thought. After giving herself a moment to compose herself internally, she finally spoke. "You are sharp mayor."

"You Witchers leave an impression. There was one sitting where you are sitting not too long ago." Mayor Henryk said sharply, there was a hint of irritation in his voice though "And I don't like being taken for a fool." The mayor added.

"It was not my intension to deceive you, master Henryk. It's just that in the south, which I mostly operate, if I said what I was, I wouldn't have any work." Julia said in an apologetic tone. Unlike most cases which she apologized for no other reason than to get information faster or simply not to get on the bad side of most influential people, she was genuine with the mayor. She couldn't help but wonder if he played any part in the mass murder of the non-humans here.

"So, you _are_ from the south."

"Yes. I am." Julia said calmly as she corrected her posture on her chair.

"I have to say, while the colors are right, you don't really sound like a nilfgaardian." The mayor said poignantly.

"Disappointed master?"

"Hardly…" The mayor refilled his chalice "…When nilfgaardians try to speak common, they sound all pompous and pretentious, and when they speak in their native dialect, they sound all commanding and warlike, like having an entire nation full of kings." The mayor grimaced as he talked, his face was rather amusing.

Julia took her chalice from the desk, and finally after a long indecision as of when, she sipped a little from it. The sweet taste of Erveluse was a pleasure in her lips. She took her time to savor it and, after tasting it for a little while, she sipped more from her chalice.

Julia's mind wondered but not due to wine. _"Wine is the best drink in existence. The complete opposite of beer: it gets better with age, yet after reaching a certain one it gradually loses its sweetness. Not unlike me I guess. Pretty funny how people are willing to pay extraordinary prices for the oldest of wines, but I guess people's tastes reflect the world they live in."_ Her thoughts were bitter. It seemed that each time she felt a little bit relaxed, her mind always ended up somewhere unpleasant.

"Don't you like the wine?" The mayor's voice brought her back from her thoughts.

"Quite the opposite. It is pretty good." Julia said in a calm tone. "It's that I was thinking something unpleasant." She added only to realize that that was unneeded information.

"Started remembering things with just two sips?" The mayor said in an amused tone.

"I'm really easy to get drank." Julia lied.

"Better not say that to every man you just met, lass."

"I am not a lass, master Henryk. I am old enough to be your grandmother. And you don't need to worry about men exploiting my love for alcohol. When men want to fuck me they don't tend to offer anything other than a threat of force. I am a fetish not a desire." Julia tried to sound normal as she spoke but ultimately couldn't mask the bitterness in her voice. She sipped again from her chalice, more out of a reflex than anything else.

"I am sure you are exaggerating." The mayor said, smiling at her.

"About being old or about being a fetish?"

"Both." The mayor was still smiling but this time his smile was… warmer somehow, like a father's trying to cheer his child after a bad day. At least that's what she hoped. Julia didn't exactly knew what a father was supposed to be like, since she never knew her own, and most likely he was dead.

"You are drifting out of subject mayor, and the sun had already set." Julia said, pointing at the window with her eyes.

"Sorry to waste your time Witcher."

"You don't, but I would like to get some information tonight. Before, we both get blind drunk." Julia returned her chalice to the desk after speaking.

"I don't have friends so it's rare for me to have a casual conversation with most people I share a drink with. And you are a much better drinking companion than the last witcher that was here. He flat out refused." The mayor said with his eyes falling lower on his chalice.

"Brave words master."

"Why?"

"Few people of your station would be willing to admit how lonely they are in reality. Most privileged men I've met don't even know what the difference is between a friend and a sycophant. Or more specifically they prefer sycophants to friends. Since a friend is someone you treat as an equal, and they take offence at that."

"And they are surprised in the end that their wives end up taking their stable hands inside them." The mayor said with a laugh and formed a rather vulgar hand gesture clearly meant to imitate sexual penetration. Julia laughed alongside the mayor.

"Ask me whatever you want, Witcher. From what I realized, asking questions is part of your job." The mayor said after a brief silence with a serious face.

"We need to know what we fight, otherwise our careers end shortly. But before I ask anything important, can you do me a favor master?"

"Depends on the favor."

Julia gave a half-smile "Don't call me 'Witcher'. Despite wearing trousers, I am not a man."

"Then what should I call you? What's your name?" The mayor asked with a somewhat confused expression.

"A Witch, and Julia."

"A Witch?"

"I know what you think but let me explain: Witchers are the men, exclusively, and Witches are the women, also exclusively. We are both of the same mutated race, crated through the infusion of various alchemical compounds to our bodies, but the 'recipes' that made us are different. We both share: advanced reflexes, poison resistance, immunity to disease, enhanced senses, strength and longevity, but our similarities end there. Witchers are physically stro…" Julia abruptly stopped her lecture on '- The differences between Witchers and Witches. -' once she noticed the confusion in the mayor's face.

"I think I'll go with just Julia. It's easier to remember, and honestly I can't understand nor like much all these hocus pocus." The mayor said with exasperation.

"That I understood, from the mage-hunters that now live here." Julia sipped from her chalice, slowly, to enjoy it this time "I've got to say, you are a charitable man master Henryk. Giving refuge and work to men that are effectively traitors to the largest and most powerful of the Northern Kingdoms. Bold move, you are quite a humanitarian. Considering the fate of the men of the baron of Crow's perch, that are now decorating its outer circle, in a spectacularly well-formed circle pattern, I might add." Julia was sarcastic but her voice must have had more than a little venom, considering the mayor's expression darkened as soon as she finished.

"You don't like Weeping Willow?" The mayor said with a rather sour expression. "Well, that's too bad. You would need to stay here for at least two weeks, maybe more, after you kill the monster so we can be sure that it stays dead this time around." The mayor continued. His voice serious and his expression unchanged.

Julia noticed that everyone in Weeping Willow seemed to believe without any doubt that the monster in the forest was the exact same one that her 'brother' was hired to kill almost a week ago and that he lied and cheated them, the last one especially. In any other scenario she would have dismissed these claims as mere bigotry, but after her conversation with the young man in the tavern, she was curious about the details of the hunt. More importantly she felt insulted on behalf of her kind "You all told me the same story: That my 'brother' took the reward and let your monster wandering around, killing. Make no mistake mayor, we mutants have a lot of bad habits but leaving jobs half-done is not one of them."

The mayor laughed "That's what you heard?"

"Well… yeah?"

The mayor sighed "The only truth to these claims is that the monster prowling the forest is the same one that was here a week ago."

"I… think we need to take this from the beginning." Julia said with a confused look. _"The mayor doesn't seem to agree with rest of the local folk. Interesting. This is going to be more complicated than I thought."_

"When did your monster problem began? I mean before my 'brother' even came to this town." Julia asked. After hearing the rumor about the alleged 'blessed by the gods' forest she decided to inquire more about it, later though.

"Eleven days ago. The local lumberjacks went to the forest to chop wood as they always did and this was when the monster first shown itself. Twelve good men died that day. Their bodies, we buried. The local cemetery is close by the forest and as you can guess we avoid it now, but even if you want to go there to check these bodies to know more about the monster, I doubt they'll be able to give you much information right now."

"Don't be so sure about it mayor Henryk. Under the right conditions, corpses can remain fresh enough to tell me what I need to know. The casket helps too, as it slows down the decay. But even if I can't draw good enough conclusions out of them, I have ways to make the dead, not talk, but sing."

Mayor Henrik tried to hide it but as long as Julia finished her statement his face showed at least a little horror. "I… don't want to know what you mean by that."

Julia laughed morbidly. She always enjoyed those kinds of reactions "Is there any way to confirm if the cemetery is safe or not?"

"No. Nobody went there since the monster reappeared."

"You are all a little… too sure that the monster in your forest is the same one that terrorized you eleven days ago. Have anyone seen it? In what grounds can these claims be supported? Might as well be something else."

"The most recent victims, the ones died two days ago, have been found in the exact same conditions that the bodies of the lumberjacks have been found, or should I say 'delivered'"

"Delivered?"

"The bodies of the lumberjacks have been found, or more accurately speaking 'displayed' outside the western gate, right by the forest's entrance, tangled in giant roots. Those I have seen myself. It may seem absurd, but I would swear the monster was making a statement with this. Many of the corpses were mangled, impaled or simply body parts trapped in the roots."

"Sounds like a Leshen. And probably an ancient, powerful one." Julia concluded. The only other creature that has the power to manipulate the forest was a Spriggan and unlike Leshy, Spriggans ate humans and they never made statements about anything ever.

The mayor sighed "That's what Urick also said."

"Urick?"

"Your 'brother'. Sorry to tell you this, Julia. But you don't tell me anything new, really." The mayor said with a dissatisfied look.

"You know, mayor. I heard some interesting things about the White Forest on my way here."

"Like what?" The mayor raised an eyebrow.

"Like how the White Forest has been very generous to you over the ages. Like, it came out straight from a fairy tale, without wolves, or bears or any danger really. Just the trees, flowers, honey and adorable, absolutely defenseless animals that are really easy to kill." Julia's smiled as she spoke, her voice a mixture of mockery and disdain.

"Your point?"

"My point is that no forest could properly function like that. Without its natural predators, its balance is already disturbed, even without humans adding to the injury, or at least it should have been."

"What's all that have to do with the monster?"

"Herbivores, like deer, feed on flora, and from what I've heard the forest is home only to herbivores. That forest shouldn't be so big since there are no predators to keep their population in check. More importantly, even if you hunt regularly in the forest, there's no way you can keep their numbers in check in such a large expansion of wood. Not to mention that you add to the damage by logging it for wealth." Julia's tone came out as more accusatory towards the end than she intended. Despite not walking in the forest as gracefully as she did years ago, she still felt a connection to nature and she didn't relish thoughts of deforestations. "The more I think about it. That forest shouldn't be here at all. Not without something interfering with its ecosystem." She finished in a calmer tone.

The mayor sipped, but even behind the chalice, Julia could see the cold look in his eyes "Listen well, Julia." The mayor returned his chalice on the desk "I am not interested about. How. When. Or. Why. The forest is there. The only thing that interests me is that monster to disappear for good, so we can continue with our lives. People's businesses suffer since we cannot log it anymore and our partners in Kovir are starting to get impatient." The mayor's tone was rather condescending. "And you are the last person that has any right to speak about violations of natural laws to me. You are a monster-human hybrid. You violate those laws by simply existing. Your 'brother' was, at least, aware of this!"

Julia's left hand clenched into a fist upon hearing the mayor's last venomous remarks. She thought that after so many years of being called so many uglier names, this would be nothing special. But it was. In fact it felt worse. Since the mayor wasn't the average dimwitted nordling asshole she used to deal with. _"I overestimated you, Henryk. You are just a primitive like the rest of them all. Why am I even trying to find hope where there is none"_ Julia thought angrily. She tried to calm herself internally, to remind herself that this was business and nothing more _"I am not here to make friends. Humans are not friends with anyone, not even among themselves."_

"It was not an insult. Just a mere fact." The mayor said after a brief silence. The tone of his voice was a bit lower than before.

"Unimportant. Did the monster appear shortly after the massacre of the non-humans in Weeping Willow?" Julia spoke in a monotone.

"What? No. This happened five years ago."

"The town's herbalist also died during the massacre, right?"

"…Yes." The mayor took his chalice from the desk and sipped, for a good while. Once he apparently emptied his chalice, and after he returned it to the desk rather crudely, he grabbed the bottle of Erveluse and refilled his chalice immediately.

"How well did you know your cunning woman, mayor?"

The mayor lowered his eyes before he spoke "Amanda was good woman. She helped everyone in Weeping Willow. And I mean everyone. The non-humans here loved her. She healed travelers, deserters from Temeria, even some Scoia'tael at one point while she was traveling to Nazair, despite threatening to rape and kill her -" –– "Mayor, I am not asking about the woman's character. I am asking about her familiarity with the arcane. Her magical knowledge." Julia abruptly interrupted the mayor.

The mayor narrowed his eyes "Amanda was a healer. Not some village witch that profited from people's suffering. At times she healed people for nothing -" –– "Yet you still let that saint burn at the stake. Interesting, if a bit contradictory." Julia's rather sarcastic interruption made the mayor look down almost immediately. He took his chalice from the desk, but instead of drinking from it, he was just looking at the contents.

The mayor inhaled deeply before he started speaking "I wasn't here when the madness began. I was in Aedirn, along with most of my guards, negotiating trade deals with the merchants and the military, where the strong wood of the forest is of great demand. My late wife's family's connections in the realm also helped things go smoothly, at least in the start. After things went to hell, I returned, three days later… I found only chaos in this place. The stench of burning flesh was still in the air and could be smelled from miles away. From what I have heard, the Redanian traitors were here for at least twelve days, killing not only the non-humans but everyone that attempted to shelter them. Madam Lucile that was running the whorehouse along with her girls, were all burned at the stake along the non-humans. They only spared some of the bastards of the whores. Most of the homeless here, are those children." The mayor's voice was low and sad. His monologue was more of a confession rather than an explanation. He was looking at his chalice the whole time and only sipped from it once he found nothing else to say.

Julia felt guilty for how quickly she dismissed Henryk's worth as a person for just a few bad comments. The mayor's guilt felt genuine and he was still the nicest person she had met in a while.

After a long silence she finally spoke "Why you let the mage-hunters stay, then? They are traitors to Redania, right? The war is over. Couldn't you just hand them over to Redania or the Church of the Eternal Fire?"

"You think it that simple?" The mayor sounded tired. "Unlike No-man's Land this isn't Temeria, Julia. Though, I guess I should probably stop calling her that, Temeria is no more and I am not going to miss her. We are not Redanian citizens. This is the border, if anything we are Angrenians and if the Redanian army came here proper, we are going to be annexed once again. Especially now, that Nilfgaard is not backing us up."

"I… am sorry master Henryk, but I am not really familiar with Northern politics, and this seems like a complicated topic. Better we just focus on the details of the job. I think we sidetracked enough." Julia said with a small smile, her trust returned.

"Very well. Why do you need to know about the massacre? How is all this connected to the Leshen?" The mayor spoke in a serious tone.

"Leshy are spirits of the forest. Unlike what folk think, Leshy don't 'move in' forests. The one that terrorize you was always in the forest but never attacked the people of Weeping Willow for some reason, until recently. This leads me to believe that something must have disturbed it. Some Leshy are as old as the forests they inhabit and at times they are even worshiped by local communities as gods."

"A forest beast… worshipped as a god? I've got to say, Urick never told me about something like that, but with all due respect Julia, this sounds like hogwash to me." Despite his doubts, the mayor's voice was free of mockery.

"A Leshen is not a mere 'forest beast'. The particularly old ones were capable of forging 'pacts' with their communities through some old rituals. Today it's a rarity, but it is not unheard of. I heard there was one such community in the Skellige Islands."

"I've got to say, Urick approached the whole thing more professionally. The way you speak, you remind me of a druid that I met a few years back in Velen. Only you are younger, taller and prettier." The mayor said with a smile.

Julia smiled back "Thanks. Couldn't help but noticed that you don't sound angry when you are speaking about him, despite paying for a job done and the results being less than satisfactory."

"Urick was a little… strange, but he didn't mince his words and I liked that about him. He may have failed at his job, true, but he didn't lie nor cheated me. Pay no heed to the local folk. I know when someone is honest with me. If anything he acted based on his knowledge of the situation, just as you are doing right now. And from what you tell me, the whole thing is more difficult to deal with. Though, I've got to say that I preferred his simpler way of explaining things." The mayor spoke calmly and sipped from his chalice "And for your information, he did talk to me about the Marking of the Leshen. I just hope all this talk about 'worshipping' and 'pacts' not simply be the same thing under a different name." He added poignantly.

Julia was impressed by the mayor's insight "If that was the case, it would be way simpler. This is a big town and in the case of a Marked One I would have to check everyone that might be the Leshen's link, it would take months." Julia said, looking at the window. It was almost a full moon outside.

"Everyone?!" The mayor stood up immediately, eyes wide "Are you kidding me woman? I pointed Urick to all the possible "Marked Ones' in town. All the people that were foraging in the forest since youth: the lumberjacks, the hunters, young lovers, even the children that were playing close by the forest before the first attack. And he told me that nobody was marked and that everything was gonna be fine, that it was impossible for anybody else to be the marked one!" After taking two deep breaths to compose himself, the mayor sat back on his chair, or more accurately speaking, he fell on it "And now you are telling me that we need to strip every man, woman and child in Weeping Willow to make sure!" The mayor slapped his forehead in frustration "The Redanians will have the time of their lives." He finished with a sigh.

Julia giggled. "They are not literally marked, mayor."

The mayor gave her a questioning look.

"It's more of a… magical signal that the Marked Ones give that our medallions can detect." Julia said in a more serious tone and pull out her medallion from her belt.

The mayor came closer to examine it. "Is that a crow?"

"A raven." Julia corrected and returned her medallion back to her belt. "By tuning it properly, it can detect any magic or illusion of close proximity. I just need to go to a heavily populated area and simply start searching. The closer I'll be to the Marked One the more the medallion will vibrate."

Mayor Henryk seemed to be keeping up "I… see. In that case, the market would be a good place to start with. Though, tomorrow it would be closed, try the day after."

"I will." Julia sipped from her chalice.

"So does that mean we forget the whole evil-god worship crap?" The mayor sounded dejected, and rather eager to dismiss that possibility.

"No mayor. I will still need to investigate this possibility."

The mayor adjusted himself in his chair and locked his fingers together over his belly. "I know what you imply, Julia. That Amanda may have something to do with the appearance of the monster, but despite my personal feelings on the matter. She. Is. Dead." The mayor's voice was low and the look in his eyes was difficult to characterize. It could be anything: sadness, indifference, scorn, even some expression of quiet rage. Julia felt heavy under those eyes. She took her chalice and sip, to avoid his gaze for the most part.

"You know what, mayor?"

"What?"

"I believe you. That this Amanda had nothing to do with the Leshen. Still, I would like you to tell me which one was her house in the burned district if it comes to that."

"We have already started rebuilding there. Many people have pretty much lost their jobs since the monster reappeared in the forest."

"They work as builders now?"

"Folk in need will do anything to not starve, but calling them builders is a bit of a stretch." The mayor gave a small chuckle and sipped. "Can't the dead elves also be suspects in the whole demon-worship theory of yours?" The mayor continue speaking with a more sour expression "I mean they are the ones that had the whole living in the forest, playing flutes and magic balls or something going on. Why not mention them? They have every reason to hate us and send monsters to slaughter us."

While aware that the mayor's suggestion was more out of prejudice than anything else, Julia decided to at least try to explain to him why this was unlikely, and in the process, analyzing the situation enough to make sure she isn't letting her own prejudice clouding her judgment. "Was there a lot of tension with the non-humans in Weeping Willow?"

"It was better than other places, I can tell you that much. A few squables now and then but just that." The mayor said, looking into Julia's eyes.

"That alone mayor, is reason enough for me to doubt their involvement in the 'waking' of the Leshen. Not to mention that elves don't worship monsters, not even ones that are connected to the wood. This is more of a human custom."

The mayor narrowed his eyes, scornfulness written all over his face "Listen, and listen well, woman!" He started, his voice was rather loud "I am not an idiot, I understand perf -" –– "Let me finish Henryk!" Julia harshly interrupted the mayor with an even louder voice. While reluctant, the mayor complied.

"The elves imbued their magic to the lands they claim when they first came to this world. It is true that they planted many a forest during their glory days and made land fertile where it was barren. But no matter how much they pride themselves as stewards of nature, constantly reminding us how humans extract a blood ransom from the land, how they change it, violate it, and all this self-righteous drivel, they are the ones that warped it the most. The forests they gave life to, answered to every command their sages gave: blossom, bear fruit, grow faster, wither, die. The Hill Folk reaped nature's benefits by 'impregnate' it with their magic and take away its wild untamed half. Humans, in general, have a more complicated relationship with nature. Before the rise of modern forms of magic, which sorcerers and sorceresses deemed more 'civilized' or 'artistic', humans performed rituals of the more primeval kind, many forbidden these days, which included: hunting, summoning, and sacrifices of blood, milk, grain… or life. Both human and elf tried to obtain nature's riches for themselves through different ways, which way was right, that I do not know, but I can tell you that it was your ways Leshy respected the most. Many of the first humans that came to this world settled near forests. Forests that Leshy guarded. They tried to appease the creatures with various offerings, and some of them have been accepted, earning their favor and sometimes even their protection, while the elves tried to control the wild woods that were already here by imbue them with the same magic that they used to grow their own forests. But for a Leshen, an elven sage's 'gentle touch' is like… twisting a nipple really hard" Julia laughed at her absolutely anticlimactic last line, the mayor laughed along with her.

After their mutual laughter died out, the mayor spoke "I have to say. If any plain lout came and told me this story, I wound have tossed them out with my own hands. But you are not plain Julia. And from what I understand, the point of your story is to tell me that the elves have no way to contact a Leshen."

"Not without knowledge of old human rituals and even that is not a guarantee. Only the elven sages know how to perform them, and they are very few now."

The mayor refilled his chalice. "I know it's probably foolish of me to ask. But do you completely exclude the whorehouse or the people that died defending the non-humans?"

Julia sighed heavily "I guess I will have to check this out, too. Just to be sure." She sipped from her chalice. Her head felt heavy, but not due to the wine, but how complicated this contract had become. "All this will take a lot of time mayor. And time is money, even if I have more time than you. If I am going to take this contract and finished it successfully, you can be sure it will cost you way more than what I am usually paid for a Leshen. My 'brother' failed to do it. And from what you have told me it wasn't due to a lack of skill or experience. It was due to this being a very complex situation. So, to be frank, I want twice what Urick was paid, and I accept nothing less than six hundred crowns in the case he felt generous." Julia said in serious tone, looking the mayor in the eyes. A part of her was feeling afraid that she was pushing way too much her luck. She was in need, but the people of Weeping Willow were in even greater need, and the mayor seemed like a man that was taking care of his people. She was willing to take advantage of that, even if she felt guilty about it a little, as this was a rare opportunity to make good money. Mayors could afford a lot, they usually just choose not to.

The mayor took one of scrolls of parchment that were on the left side of the desk and the quill on his right and started writing something. Julia hoped it was the contract.

After he finished his writing, he opened the scroll in front of Julia, with some support from a glassy inkwell.

Julia sprung from her chair as long as her eyes fell on the written reward. "What?!" She yelled.

The mayor sipped from his chalice, his amusement clear even behind it.

"One thousand five hundred crowns? That's a fucking fortune! Are you. That. Sure I will fail, Henryk?!" Julia's every word was loud but she couldn't suppress her shock and awe at the absurd number of the reward. That was the biggest pay she had even been promised in her long life, and the mayor's signature guaranteed it.

"Well, it is a difficult task." The mayor spoke after a while.

"Yeah. But still. Can you afford all this?" Julia was still in shock, otherwise she wouldn't have asked such an obvious question.

"The monster harms all of us in some way. Why would I be the exception? Without access to the forest we will all starve sooner or later and I appreciate your willingness to see this through." The mayor spoke without any seeming doubt or second thoughts. Julia was now in shock by how down to earth the mayor was. She was staring, eyes wide. "Besides…" The mayor continued "I have no wife anymore, nor children to look after, or to take care of me, and my parents are dead." The mayor tried to sound casual as he spoke, but the sorrow in his eyes was clear "My only future expenses are going to be the expensive wine I am planning to drown myself in."

Before the mayor's chalice was half-way raised from the desk, Julia grabbed the mayor's hand with a sudden move and returned it back down, spilling some of the wine on both of their hands, and the desk. She bent, coming closer to the mayor's face. It was the second night in a row that she ended up close to man's face while holding hands with him and having a table just between them, though for very different reasons. "Listen Henryk…" She spoke, moving away a little "I know that most folk wisdom is total bullshit, but excessive consumption of alcohol _**can**_ result to liver failure… And I could smell the wine in your breath the moment I opened the door to your office." Julia's voice came out as soft, softer than she usually tried to sound most of the time. She wanted the mayor to know that she care about his wellbeing. She hoped he didn't misunderstood her gesture.

The mayor gently released his hand from Julia's grasp, still holding his chalice and brought it closer to his lips "There are two ways I always dreamed of leaving this world: At the hands of the love of my life or by drowning in red Erveluse. The first one is not going to happen in this life." He emptied his chalice in a single galp. The mayor's voice was so low and depressing that even Julia found the whole scene sad.

After straightening her posture Julia spoke "I better get started. I have a difficult task ahead of me. Many leads to follow, but I will start at the most simple. Who were the Leshen's most recent victims – The ones that died the day before yesterday and where can I find them?"

"Voltaire's eldest children, they went to the forest and as you can guess they returned half the people they used to be. Especially the lass, I heard she was literally chopped to pieces. Their bodies are now in the lich-house, close by the chapel of the Eternal Fire…" Mayor Henryk cringed before continuing "…Bartosz. Our new… 'priest', wants to offer them to the Eternal Fire, to give our town 'divine protection', he says. Voltaire is less than thrilled. He doesn't wish his eldest children to be buried under a foreign ritual from a foreign religion, so Bartosz just keeps them there till Voltaire finally 'see the light' of the Eternal Fire. I suggest you hurry, because Bartosz might as well cremate them anyway since Voltaire isn't exactly in a position to oppose him and Bartosz really enjoys his speeches and those weird displays he does with his hands." The mayor's way of speaking make abundantly clear that he found the whole deal ridiculous at best.

"Voltaire. Where can I find him? And more importantly, in what emotional state can I find him?" Julia asked pointedly. People in severe emotional stress tended to be difficult to talk to, and while the Axii Sign could smooth things over when speaking to stubborn individuals. People overwhelmed with grief or particularly strong-willed individuals tend to be completely immune to it or ended up with a small migraine and nothing else. And two days was too small a time for a human to grieve. Still, she preferred this prospect over having to deal with a 'priest' of the Eternal Fire.

"He hasn't left his house since his eldest children died. I think you should try talking to his other children. You would find them in the Traveling Pipers." The mayor attempted to refill his chalice only to find out that the bottle was empty. He swore under his breath.

 _"FUCK! So my possible sources for information are divided between: a virgin, a doormat and a closeted homosexual or a priest of the worst cult humans managed to invent to date."_ Julia thought angrily. She didn't like any of these choices, but she would go with the one least likely to end in violence. She signed.

"I'll keep you informed about my progress. Goodnight, master Henryk." She finished and turn to leave.

"You lied to me." Julia heard the mayor's voice while holding the doorknob of the half-opened door.

She turned to face him. "You told me that you can't sing. Yet, after I spoke about what transpired here you were humming something under your breath. In silence, even the smallest sound can be heard. I don't need to be a mutant to hear it." The mayor said with a small smile. Julia responded in kind, but averted her eyes a bit. "Would you sing something for me?" The mayor added after a while, his smile wider than before.

Julia stopped avoiding his gaze "That requires a different kind of payment, Henryk." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Like what?" The mayor was still smiling.

"For you Henryk, It would be refraining…" Julia said, still smiling, and pointed with her eyes at the now empty bottle of Erveluse. "…Till I leave Weeping Willow." Julia finished and passed on the other side of the door, leaving a smiling Henryk behind.

* * *

 **/** Learn more about Urick's wereabouts in the story: The Wyvern Witcher - Chapter 1: Grim Up North

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus Story: Thoughts of a stray girl – part one**

* * *

First day

I don't like this tower. It's cold, scary and dark.

/

Second day

Those black birds are watching us. I like them. They are cute.

/

Third day 

They give us little food.

/

Forth day

Even less food today. Are they on hard times?

/

Fifth day

I hate the fat girl!

/

Sixth day

The fat girl is called Aurelia. I hate you Aurelia!

/

Tenth day

They gave us grass to eat. Yeach!

/

Eleventh day

Today they gave us mushrooms along with the grass.

/

Fifteenth day

I hate you Aurelia, I hate you Beata, I hate you Celina, I hate you Hanna. When we become witches and leave this tower, I am going to find each one of you and kill you!

/

Twentieth sixth day

I am hurting everyday now. My arms, my legs, my belly, my head, everything hurts. I vomit every day, sometimes blood. When it will stop? I want it to stop.

/

Thirtieth day

I hate you mom! I hate you dad! I hate you Annie! That's why you gave me away? Because I was born on the wrong day? You lied to me! All of you lied! I will get out of this tower! I will! I WILL! Witches and Witchers strap the heads of monsters on the saddles of their horses as trophies, and when I am out of here my first trophies will be your heads!


	4. Looking for work - Complications

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 4: Looking for work - part 3: Complications**

* * *

"I'm telling you, he is fucking her ass good, mate." Julia heard from the other side, as she reached the door to leave mayor Henryk's house. The silence of the night and the absence of the traffic due to the hour make it even easier for her to hear, not just the guard outside, but any small noise: The screeching of the owls, the wind that was howling, the flicker of the candles, even the flowing of the Eerie River was audible to her despite the distance. Raven School witches may lack the ability to dilate and tighten their pupils at will, but the rest of their senses were superhumanly sensitive.

"Oh, get lost Dan. The man is still grieving his wife's passing. Besides, haven't you got tired of speaking about asses all the time?" Another voice was heard. The guards were obviously conversing.

"No I haven't. Hers was the second best ass I have ever seen in my life. Also, who's grieving? Come on now, Iwan. He killed the bitch and now he is celebrating his freedom. You can realize he's close by the stench of wine coming of a mile away." Julia's eyes went wide as she heard that. Her curiosity piqued. She decided to stay behind the door and eavesdrop on the guards for a while.

Iwan: "Mate, I was here when he called for help. No strangling marks, no stab wounds, nothing. And Henryk never raised his hand on her, not even when the woman was on her usual hysterics, and believe you me. She deserved it then more."

Iwan: Second best, you say? Which one was the first?

Dan: An herbalist's I have seen in White Orchard. Best ass I have seen in my life.

Iwan: White Orchard? Redania? When did you get there?

Dan: It was when the black ones first invaded. It was Temeria still then. The mayor wanted to strike a deal with them in exchange for their protection. It was soon after some big battle, there, somewhere and the black ones were still tending to their wounded so they called everyone that can help them, that herbalist included.

Iwan: How did you know she was an herbalist?

Dan: I asked around. Damn when she bend, I am turning crazy just thinking about it, mate. I should have fucked her bloody when I had the chance.

Iwan: Would you rape a healer? C'mon Dan, that's low even for you.

Dan: If I knew that a bunch of fucked-up zealots will burn Madam Lucile's whorehouse to the ground? I would have raped her ass rapidly till we leave White Orchard.

Iwan: You got a point there. I mean… Ok, burn all the non-humans here, nobody is gonna miss them, but 'our' whores as well. They could have spared them. Now the only holes available to stick my prick in, is my fat ugly wife's.

Dan: Hey Iwan, have you… heard?

Iwan: Heard what?

Dan: About the orphans… in the non-human district?

Iwan: No. What of them?

Dan: Well… I heard that they… started following on their gods forgiving mothers' footsteps. You know what I mean?

Iwan: Dan… They are… children.

Dan: And they need to survive. Is it better now that they steal and we have to deal with them? See it as… giving them alms.

Iwan: Ahm… I rather talk about your weird fascination with the foreign woman's ass.

Dan: Hey Iwan. Do you think I have a chance with her?

Iwan: No.

Dan: Not even if I -

Iwan: No.

Dan: Not even if I do -

Iwan: No Dan, especially if you did **that**.

Dan: Fuck it. I am not going to wait till the bastards come of age and I am not wasting another golden opportunity like that. I'm gonna rape this redhead in the ass till she moans.

Iwan: She is not a redhead, Dan. I have seen redheads. Her hair were more… the color of blood? They didn't seem natural. Probably a dye some village witch gave her.

Dan: I wasn't looking at her hair.

Iwan: That I realized. Sorry to tell you Dan but a woman that is over six feet tall, sporting scars, dresses in black leathers and carries a sword around may not exactly be willing to just sit and get raped. Just saying.

Dan: Oh come on, Iwan. How tough can she be? She is just a woman.

Iwan: Yeah… Hey, have I ever told you how I lost my eye, Dan?

Dan: No. How?

Iwan: From Rayla of Lyria. Ever heard of her? White Rayla? And my left eye wasn't the only thing she took that night.

Dan: Hahaha. That's fucking hilarious. You got thrashed by a woman?

Iwan: Know what Dan? Go on. Have your way with her. I will even cover for you when it's your next swift.

Dan: What? Really? Iwan you are a friend you son of a- Oh fuck.

Iwan: It's Bolo. What that faggot wants again? Does he seriously have nothing better to do than -

Julia opened the door at this very moment. The movement was so quick and sudden that the two guards at the door were both startled.

"Goodnight… gents." Julia managed to say as calmly as she could. She held her head low, using her free flowed blood red heir to obscure her eyes from the view of the guards as she walked past them. She became aware with time that each human that was about to die by her sword when on the ground was looking in her eyes, instead of the blade, so her stare must have looked more hostile when she was about to kill humans in anger… And she wanted to kill those guards. She wanted to kill them so badly. She wanted to tear their larynxes with her own teeth, stab them, gut them, castrate them, butcher them like the animals they were, and feed their body parts to drowners, just like she did to those in Lyria during her contract there… But she couldn't do it, not here in the open at least. Weeping Willow was not a city with many dark alleys, spacious sewers or gutters to conveniently get rid of corpses. She couldn't just kill humans when she felt like it and expect it will go completely unnoticed. Especially when half of the local guards comprised of fanatics that their former jobs was basically the torture and murder of some of the most dangerous individuals in this world. She had to be discreet.

"Well, well. Look who's here." Julia heard Bolo's voice. He spotted her and was coming towards her leaving the two guards on his flank behind. All of them were currying torches.

 _"Life is funny."_ Julia thought, amused at the fact that the name of the man that sexually harassed her when she first came to this town, was the reason she didn't kill two guards in a frenzy, and get herself in trouble again. It was the second time his arrival benefited her in some manner. Though this was hardly the most unusual situation she found herself in. _"This is pretty tame compared to the succubus contract in Nazair: I mean, a former student of Aretuza turned serial killer that used the succubus hiding in the city as a scapegoat? That's not something you encounter every day_ … _It was a hard lesson for me, to learn that innocence is such a fleeting thing. Anyone can resolve to murder under the right conditions."_ She reminisced.

She raised her head once she found herself in front of him, moving her blood red hair aside. "Small town." She said with a half-smile.

"That, it is."Bolo half-smiled back at her, from the left side, his scar served only to make it look creepy though.

"You know Bolo it's the third night in a row that I bump into you. Are you stalking me?" Julia said with her left arm on her waist, her smile wider.

"You must be reading my mind. Cause I was looking for you but you weren't at the inn."

Julia took a step closer "Really?" She started in a flirtatious tone "And here I thought you fancied grave hags and children." She moved a little closer "Ain't I too young for you… too old… Or. Maybe… Am I… just about right?" Once again they were close to each other, blue eyes meeting black. Julia didn't have any intention to have sex with a man that murdered one of her kind, but she really enjoyed messing with him, especially since yesterday night that he moved to kiss her right before the innkeeper pointed his crossbow at them.

"Sorry my Lyrian tulip…" Bolo said and pushed her, softly, above her left breast with the index and middle fingers of his right hand, creating a little space between them "…I never mix business with pleasure." He continued, still half-smiling.

"Well that's too bad. And I was feeling so grateful since yesterday night." Julia said with a rather playful smile, and took half a step back.

Bolo glanced at Julia's sword "Good. That means you have no problem with me confiscating your weapons, right?" He was still smiling as he spoke.

Julia's smile melted into a frown, she took a quick step back. "This better be a joke." She said after a moment's pause, her tone was low but there was anger in it.

"No joke, I'm afraid." Bolo said as he attempted to reach for the leather straps of Julia's sword with his right hand. Julia quickly stepped to the left to avoid it.

"Don't do this difficult." Bolo grimaced but he didn't reattempted to get a hold on her sword.

Julia didn't answer and move to leave.

Bolo grabbed her by the left arm. His grip was firm "Do you really like pissing me off or something?!"

Julia snapped. She strike him to the peroneal nerve with her left knee, strongly, there was no armor covering his leg from the left angle. He groaned and staggered. She used that opportunity to break his hold on her arm.

She acted on instinct. It all happened fast, too fast in fact. Julia didn't even realize when her sword was on her left hand, its scabbard on the ground, the guards' swords half-drawn, Bolo's snuffed out torch on the ground, he clutching his leg in pain.

"It's okay boys!" Bolo said after a while, his voice a mixture of pain and… laughter? Julia may have been two hundred and sixty-six years old (more or less), but that was still a somewhat unusual sight, even for her. "Didn't you fucking hear me, you cocksuckers? I told you! It's fine!" He continued looking behind her. It was obviously meant for Dan and Iwan. Julia won't forget their names.

Once the pain seemingly passed, Bolo took a step forward towards her.

Despite having her sword lowered, Julia kept her guard up. Her awareness of her surroundings returned. The two guards that were standing twenty paces behind Bolo were armed with swords, the left one also had a knife strapped on his belt, none of them carried any ranged weapons and as for Bolo, he carried an axe that seemed of dwarven design along with a standard issue sword of the guardsmen. Julia also remembered that Dan and Iwan only carried halberds, so no ranged attacks if things come to worse.

"I'll let that pass." Bolo started with a frown "But this is the last time. Surrender your weapons peacefully and I -" –– "Don't touch me again like that." Julia abruptly interrupted him, her voice was low but very sharp, her accent slipped.

"Listen well sweetheart." Bolo said, still frowning "You pulled a dagger on a guardsman and a defenseless civilian in full view of quite a few people and in case you forgot -" –– "Defenseless civilian?" Julia interrupted with a laugh "Last time I checked I spared you a bolt to the brain from the crossbow of said civilian." She said with a sour expression.

Bolo smiled "You know how much people like to talk around here?" He said with his hands on his belt.

"Don't know. Don't care." Julia said, with emphasis, her expression unchanged.

"But you should, because I got a lot of reports since morning about a tall, redheaded foreign woman assaulting the innkeeper yesterday night. And guess what, lieutenant Feliks also reported a very similar woman causing trouble at the Traveling Pipers around noun." Bolo had a smug smile as he spoke his every word.

"Pure coincidence." Julia said with a fake smile.

Bolo's smug smile melted in an instant and his expression turned serious. He groaned as he moved a little closer to Julia, probably still hurting a bit.

"Third stupid shit you do. And you will. Will get you to the dungeon. And unlike me they won't treat you like a lady there. So I suggest you behave." Bolo glanced at Julia's sword as he spoke, his hand on his axe. Julia heard the guards' paces behind her, their armor made noise. The guards behind Bolo were also holding the hilts of their swords, ready to draw them at any time.

Julia's grip on her sword tightened. As much as she hated surrendering her weapons, killing five guards will force her to leave Weeping Willow for good, and lose the most lucrative contract she ever had. _"I am sorry Violeta. I hope I am not making a stupid mistake here."_ Julia thought clenching her teeth. She didn't want to lose the last memento of her dead sister.

Julia moved to pick her scabbard from the ground. Worrying about any sudden movements she didn't take her eyes off Bolo, who was way too close for comfort.

Once Julia took hold of it, nimbly and gracefully, she turned the sword upside down and slipped it back into the scabbard. The enchanted runes shone with a deep red light as the weapon found itself all the way inside.

Julia came close to Bolo and presented her sword to him in a manner that reminded her of a painting she had seen many years ago in Toussaint, depicting a beautiful woman, probably a queen, with golden hair in a white dress offering a sword ceremonially to a fully armored knight. The irony wasn't lost to her.

Bolo released his hold on his axe and reached to grab Julia's sword with the very same hand.

"Don't lose it." Julia said sharply, looking straight into Bolo's eyes.

He answer her with a small smile, interestingly enough, it was a smile of satisfaction. Julia crossed her arms as soon as the sword left her hands.

Once Julia's sword was in his hands, Bolo tried to draw the sword from its scabbard only to be met with the realization that sword and scabbard have pretty much fused.

"Well you look at that." Bolo smiled as he hold the sheathed sword sideways in front of Julia with his right hand. "You draw it." He said, looking at her.

Julia sighed but complied. She placed her left hand on the hilt of the sword, the runes shown at her touch, at this very moment Bolo placed his hand on top of Julia's, they were now both holding it at the same time as well as holding each other's hand. _"He did this on purpose"_ She thought looking at him.

They both draw the sword at the same time. It slipped quickly and delicately as if weighting nothing. Once completely out of its scabbard, Julia released her hold on it.

Bolo checked the runes on the blade, and cut the air with it a few times to test its balance "It's a fine sword. Top quality. And that scabbard with the runes, its Ofieri rune-crafting right?" Bolo guessed looking at the scabbard.

Julia took this opportunity to lie, and create a possible traceable path in case Bolo or any of his friends felt particularly greedy "Yes. Are you familiar with it?"

"Well there was an Ofieri runewrea- runewree- runewhe- gah what the fuck was he called?"

"A runewright." Julia said in an soft, elegant tone.

Bolo gave her a bewildered look "Yeah that… in Upper Mill. That his work?"

Julia decided to go along with Bolo's assumptions "Yes. And as you probably guessed, it wasn't cheap at all, and it wound have been way more expensive if I haven't helped said runewright with a gang called the Wild Ones that attacked -" –– "Wild Ones?" Bolo interrupted Julia abruptly with a higher tone, his eyes wide.

"L-Like the ones led by Olgierd von Everec?" Bolo's voice cracked a bit as he spoke, if she didn't know better, Julia would think he was scared.

Julia preferred to play it safe with her limited knowledge of the situation "I don't know. There are many gangs going under that name. I never met nor heard of any man by that name." _"And I would definitely remember an elaborate name like that."_

"T-That's good. M-Must mean that that demon is finally dead. His followers scattered." Bolo's voice cracked even more as he spoke. It was clear that whoever that Olgierd von Everec was, must have been someone really dangerous.

"Bolo is this going to take long? I've got tired of all this chatter!" one of the guards behind Bolo yelled "Since you are not going to fuck her, can we finally beat her so -" –– "Shut the fuck up Gawel or I'll beat you up instead of Dan once I remember the money you still owe me at gwent." Bolo yelled back at the guard. That shutted him up immediately.

The more Julia got accustomed to the 'refined gentlemen' of Weeping Willow the more Bolo seemed quite fetching by comparison, and he did managed to force her lips to form a smile at least two times.

Bolo removed the iron gantlet of his right hand.

"Don't!" Julia abruptly grabbed Bolo's wrist as he moved to cut his finger on the blade. Just in time.

"Trust me. Don't." Julia tried to give extra emphasis on her words and widen her eyes, hoping to completely dissuade him from testing the blade on anything living. It would be impossible to explain exactly how the blade absorbs, or more accurately speaking 'consumes', the blood once it cut flesh without freaking him out.

Her gamble paid off. Instead of cutting his finger Bolo through his gantlet to the ground. In a single swipe the blade cleaved the iron gantlet like a hot knife on a butter cube. The excitement in his face was obvious.

Bolo raised the sword and looked at it for a while. "Such a fine sword must have a name." He said, returning the sword in its scabbard "How do you call it?" He asked Julia.

Julia answered in a complete deadpan "Cock-chopper."

Bolo's face changed from excitement to the most hilarious grimace Julia has seen in a while. She couldn't help herself smiling wide "You know Bolo," she giggled "it's the third time that you manage to make me smile. Keep it up and I might just forget how you almost forced my pants down."

Bolo's face once again turned serious "Very fucking funny. Now give me the dagger you hide behind your coat." He said pointing at her belt.

"You are learning, I see." Julia said with a half-smile and pulled out her steel dagger in a needlessly theatrical manner, twice spinning it in her hand really fast. With a nimble gesture, she avoided Bolo's first attempt to grab it, before allowing him the second one. His slightly pissed expression widened her smile.

Bolo put the steel dagger into his belt "And the rest." He beckoned with his hand.

Julia hesitated but complied after a small pause, giving her dimeritium and silver dagger along with her raven school medallion to Bolo. She also took off her belt to saw him that she wasn't hiding anything else behind her black leather coat.

Bolo examined each one of the items carefully.

"Where did you find all this stuff?" After asking, Bolo put the other two daggers in his belt, it started to look really heavy now. The medallion he returned.

Julia put her belt back. "Some I paid a high price for…" she said looking at her sword, "some I've earned…" she looked at the silver dagger, "some I took from corpses…" she looked at the steel dagger "and some… are just useful to have around" she looked at the dimeritium dagger.

"Impressive. And that satchel." Bolo pointed with his eyes.

Julia hesitated. While unlikely that he figured out she was a mutant, if he saw the contract, and could read it, that could quickly change and she didn't know what could happen then.

Bolo grabbed her by the satchel suddenly and brought her closer to him.

Unimpressed this time around, Julia gave a playful smile as she spoke "You must really love your job." If he wanted to hurt her, he had so many chances already. And more excuses.

"I hate it." He said looking at her eyes again.

Instead of hitting his arm away or dissuade him, Julia came even closer to him "Will you kiss me this time?" She said in a flirtatious tone, her voice low and soft "I start to get impatient." Her guard may have been lowered, but Julia still had in the back of her head the thought of headbutting him should he tried anything not-so-funny.

"Say yes to everything Czsibor tells you." He whispered to her ear and released his hold on her satchel.

Not expecting that, Julia gave Bolo a questioning look. Despite originally meant it only as a distraction with a touch of fun on the side, she found herself surprisingly disappointed that he didn't kiss her.

Bolo turned to the guards behind him "All right. No problem here. Gawel get the fuck here to carry her stuff! My belt feels heavy!" He said loudly.

The guard besides Gawel laughed loudly.

"Why the fuck me again?!" Gawel barked.

"Cause I'll cut your tongue otherwise. And then you won't be able to suck captain Czsibor's cock as he likes it. Now come here you lowlife!" Bolo barked back at Gawel.

Gawel swore under his breath but did as he was told. He murmured various curses on his way towards them. Due to her enhanced hearing Julia could hear all the vile acts he wished upon Bolo's manhood. Some of them quite creative.

Once Gawel came close enough, Bolo immediately hit him in the head with the sheathed sword. He fell to the ground and groaned. Bolo then threw the sword on his left hand. In a kneeling position, Gawel crunched his injured hand, his face a mask of pain.

"Hey, watch it! This is my sword!" Julia yelled at Bolo.

"Don't you worry. It's a strong blade, it'll take way more to damage it." Bolo said while looking at Gawel.

"Are you that nice to everyone?" Julia asked, crossing her arms.

"I am nice to the ladies." Bolo said with a smile and turn to face Julia.

"Like you were to the innkeeper's daughter?" Julia smiled back, but it was obviously not genuine.

"That wench isn't a lady, she is just stupid, and don't worry about it. Gawel here gives her exactly what she deserves." Bolo looked at Gawel, still smiling. He looked back at him, his teeth clenching, though Julia wasn't sure if it was due to pain or anger. Bolo threw Julia's daggers to the ground, obviously meant for Gawel to pick them up.

"Goodnight. And be careful." Bolo stressed his last two words.

While unsure about Bolo's actions and what they represented, though she did had some ideas, Julia found herself nodding with a neutral expression.

Bolo's attention changed to the guards behind Julia "Dan you cocksucker…" he yelled and started walking towards the aforementioned guard.

"Stand still. What are you, a soldier or a Novigrad whore? The woman from Lyria stands still better than you. Perhaps I should chop off your cock, that will give you some balance you-" Were the last words Julia heard before leaving the guards behind.

As she was making her exit, she gave a few looks behind, not forgetting that she was now completely unarmed with a possible rapist at her hill. _"One thing is certain. I am not getting any sleep tonight."_ Instead of returning to the Ugly Duckling she decided to go for a night walk, to think how to deal with it without raising any unwanted attention.

 _"Am I afraid? After all this time? Guess I am. But I am not simply closing my eyes and quietly suffer through it again. I am not that naïve anymore. Not when I was seven… Mother."_

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Fun and games**

* * *

"Mom, I am home." The little bastard girl said as she closed the door behind her. It was already dark outside.

Her mom was sitting on a wooden chair, her arms resting on the table in front of her with her head resting inside them. A small candle in the center of the table was all the light they have in the house.

"Sorry…" The girl apologized for being late again. She was most likely going to get spanked again, but she didn't mind a taste of Angry Leena this time. Today was the best day of her life, and nothing was about to change that.

"Come here!" Her mom ordered with her head still inside her arms. _"She is angry again."_ The little bastard girl thought, knowing for sure she would be spanked tonight.

The girl walked slowly towards her mom. She was scared a bit and reflexively hold Mrs Tiggy-Winkle a bit tighter, causing her spikes to prickle her uncovered little arms.

Once close to the wooden table the little bastard girl spotted Angry Leena lying at the table, right by her mother's left elbow.

The girl's mom raised her head to face her "What the fuck is that?" She asked looking at Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

"It's a hedge… -hog." The little bastard girl's voice was barely above a whisper, her head held low looking at Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

Her mother took Angry Leena from the table.

"Didn't hear you. What the fuck is that rodent I asked? Look at me!" She repeated her question louder and angrier than before.

With difficulty, the little bastard girl tried to raise her head to face her mom. She managed, once, before quickly looked down again at Mrs Tiggy-Winkle. Last time she looked at her mom for a little bit more time, she got slapped in the face. So she figured that her mom didn't like been looked upon when she returned angry from work.

The little bastard girl finally spoke after a while "It's a hedgehog…" Her head was still held low but her voice was loud enough to be heard "…her name is Mrs Tiggy-Winkle."

"Where did you find it? Look at me gods damn it!" The little bastard girl's mom said angrily and grabbed her by the hair, pulling and twisting them upwards.

The little bastard girl groaned, her eyes already holding back tears by the pain of the forceful twisting of her hair. Fearful, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle was moving around in the girl's soft embrace in an attempt to run away. The girl's arms started bleeding as she tried to keep her in her arms. "It was a gift!" The little bastard girl cried out in pain.

"From who?" The girl's mom asked and abruptly released her.

The girl started whimpering. She was holding Mrs Tiggy-Winkle too tight before and was now bleeding badly. She knelt and released her from her embrace. The girl's mom gave an angry look at Mrs Tiggy-Winkle as she started walking around.

"Who gave you that?" The little bastard girl's mom asked and hit her with Angry Leena once in the left arm. The girl moaned and clenched her arm. "You remember the game my stupid little bastard? No? Then I'll remind you: I ask and you answer. If you're late to answer, I hit you." The girl's mom said happily and with a touch under her small chin raised the girl's head, forcing her to look at her. "Did you understand?""he asked looking the girl in the eyes.

"Yes mom." The little bastard girl answered immediately. She knew how the 'game' went and didn't like it. She hoped her mom won't pick many words she didn't know.

"So who gave this to you?" The girl's mom looked at Mrs Tiggy-Winkle as she spoke.

"Erick." The girl was looking at her mom as she answered.

"And who is that?"

"My friend." The girl looked down for a moment only.

"Your friend?" The girl's mom laughed "You have friends?"

"Yes mom, you see them. Violeta, Erick, Goile, Verina -" –– "The black haired one, it is?" The girl's mom interrupted.

"Yes."

"That good for nothing peasant's son?"

The little bastard girl didn't know how to answer this question and started murmuring something in fear.

Her mom hit her in the same arm as before.

The girl moaned, very close to tears. The pain was worse this time.

"That good for nothing peasant's son?" The girl's mom angrily repeated her question.

Her mom hit her in the left arm this time.

"Sorry, I don't know!" The girl howled.

"Tall, brown hair, black eyes, tattoos with knives in his left arm, working lord Albert fields. The black haired mongrel is his son?"

"Yes." The girl scarily answered. She forgot to ask Erick about his father's name, but he did tell her about the tattoo in his father's left arm.

"You won't see that little mongrel again." The girl's mom stood up from the wooden chair "Understand?" She said and left Angry Leena on the table.

"Wha… why?" The girl whimpered.

"Because I don't want your 'friend's' bitch mother coming here asking about her man. That's why!"

The little bastard girl didn't understand what her mom was saying or why she was so angry with Erick and his mother. The only thing she knew was that she didn't want not to see Erick again.

"You ever went to his house?"

"Yes."

The girl's mom slapped her suddenly. "You that fucking stupid?!" The girl's mom yelled angrily.

The little bastard girl caressed her left cheek in a feeble attempt to ease the pain. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore and started sobbing as she spoke "Bu…but…I…I…I…" _"But I answered your question fast, why you hit me?"_ She wanted to say, but the words weren't coming out.

The girl's mom kneeled and grabbed her small upper arms, firmly enough to cause her pain "Listen and listen well my stupid little bastard…" She stared at her, her matching blue eyes more angry than the little bastard girl has been used to, the little bastard girl was so afraid that she closed her crying eyes "You are not going to see that Erick boy again, or go to his house, or speak to his parents **ever** again! Not now, not tomorrow, not in two years. Hell! Not even in five years that you would want his prick inside your tight little cunt. And that bitch Violeta? Your 'friend'. Did you know that her mother is the reason we are rotting here? If it wasn't for this two-faced whore we would at least have a place at Red Orchid. She will betray you just like her mother did to me, so wake -" –– "No!" The little bastard girl shout out, her eyes still closed tight with tears running down.

"What did you say?" The girl's mom asked and let go of her arms.

The little bastard girl didn't answer. The 'No!' came out without any thought…

Deep down though, the girl knew why she said it. _"No! I will see Erick again, I love him and I want to marry him once I become a woman. No! I will see Violeta again for she is my best friend and she would never betray me. No! I don't like playing with you mom, because you are always hurting me and you always cheat to make me hurt more. No! I don't hate this place, I don't hate the rats, I don't hate the women that you hate, I don't hate you for not bringing food home, I know you try your best, and I don't hate dad for leaving us."_ Were all the things her 'No!' standed for and the things the girl wanted to say to her mom but was too afraid to say.

"What the fuck did you say?!" The girl's mom slapped her again on the same cheek, stronger than any other time she slapped her before. The girl fell to the ground and started crying.

"You know what? Let's play a different game." The little bastard girl heard a sound, and she knew it was Angry Leena being picked from the table "Rules are simple: You stop crying, I stop hitting you."

The little bastard girl curled into a ball, preparing for the beating she knew she won't avoid. She just couldn't stop crying.

The day she thought was her best, turned out to be the worst. The last thing the girl saw before felt Angry Leena's sting was Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, hiding under her bed.


	5. Night walk - Introspection

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 5: Night Walk - part 1: Introspection**

* * *

Putting her hands behind her head Julia lay on the dry stone hedging that decorated the edges of the Eerie River, looking at the stars above with a lampion she 'borrow' from The Traveling Pipers as she passed by the closed tavern as her lone source of light.

She wasn't about to get any sleep tonight for a number of different reasons, and walking the dark streets of Weeping Willow for a while didn't make her feel particularly better, so she decided to come by the west part of town, which was more isolated, to look at the sky and think while more calm. The fast flowing waters of the Eerie River were a welcome distraction as well, just fast enough to be sweet music to her ears instead of a torrent that could possibly deafen her to an upcoming danger due to the hour. It always helped her think clearer while looking at the night sky, preferably under the light of a full moon, but she wasn't doing it much as of late.

. . .

Some time passed, she wasn't sure how much exactly, as Julia tried to decide the best course of action considering her current situation. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep.

 _"So let's see_ _…_ _Provided I am dealing with a Leshen, I don't need steel or dimeritium, I could fight the monster with my silver sword, and my Signs are more than enough to take care of any possible reinforcements it might call. Good call on my behalf that I didn't wander around with it though. And I guess I have to thank that old bastard Stregobor for this illusion charm of his next time I find myself in Kovir, it had been a great help on the Path."_

 _"Despite the obvious signs though, I have never heard of a Leshen capable of manipulating a forest's entire ecosystem before. A Leshen's control extends as far as its marked territory, and in fact they rarely use their innate magic for anything fancier than teleporting away from danger, some limited control over plants in their immediate surroundings and communicate with the animals within their domains, and the last one is debatable. A Spriggan would be more likely, as they have a way greater control over the flora and fauna of their domains, capable of twisting it into some pretty grotesque ways, if it wasn't for the whole 'corpse display' thing. Spriggans also don't communicate with animals, they eat them more readily than the intelligent races, and in fact, they have a preference for easier caught prey, so even in the off-chance that a Spriggan just happened to be the only Post-Conjunction presence in the White Forest, the herbivores should be the first to be devoured not the last. Finally, and more importantly, they are mortal, destroy their corporal shells and that's the end of it. Unlike Leshy that will be reborn after a period of time. Even destroying their totems, killing the individuals housing their life essence and destroying their avatars, the only thing we can really manage is to dramatically slow down their eventual rebirth. Such an irony that humans pay us to 'kill' them while they have technically killed more themselves by burning their forests to the ground while we have 'pacified' them…_

 _A week?!"_ She opened her eyes at the sudden realization.

 _"…That's too short a time for a leshen to return after being defeated, even with a Marked One alive it should take at least a month, more with its totems destroyed. Urick couldn't have been that careless. I need to retrieve my weapons before going to the forest to face the 'Leshen', the more I think about it, the more out of the ordinary the whole thing sounds, and I don't like surprises."_

 _"Hmph… this Czcibor must have been a high ranking officer among the witch-"_ Julia cringed at her own thought _"-mage hunters to be captain of the guard here. I must have heard that name at least three times during my time in Redania, so he must be one of the mage hunters that came here. I at least hope he is going be a little more… 'sensible', than the ones I have met seven years ago in Novigrad."_

Julia always felt bad remembering the situation in Novigrad during Radovid the third's reign, mostly because of the stench of burning flesh that it was way worse for her due to her enhanced sense of smell. Time didn't take away the guilt she felt about the role she played aiding that officer named Caleb in uncovering the identity of the head of the city's secret service as a doppler impostor. An innocent creature, one of the few, in this world suffered and died under false accusations because she let her fear that human influence runs so deeply that sooner or later every benign creature left in this world: godlings, unicorns, dopplers… will eventually become the beasts humans always wanted them to be, cloud her better judgment. And it was all for absolutely nothing. Julia's 'reward' for her service to the Church of the Eternal Fire came in the form of an ambush, with that bastard Caleb preceding over it. Remembering that scene wasn't pleasant for her but she couldn't deny the mage hunter's eloquence while citing all the reasons he couldn't let her walk away alive. She remembered it clearly. It was probably the most proper and gentlemanly speech she ever heard before a bloodbath, he even used some fancy words to ensure her -as she understood it- that she won't get gangraped like the rest of the magical whores locked in the dungeons of Temple Island, all while holding a hot iron pike in a smug, threatening manner. _"At least some justice still exists in this world."_ Julia giggled at her own thought. She found some comfort in the idea of a horrible deed being punished by destiny, even if she was the perpetrator of said deed, and the one being punished for it. This, along with the little token she left in the right side of that asshole's face that night was enough to make her smile at least a little.

"I guess I have to… 'converse' …with that 'priest'… of the Eternal Fire as well, since he is unfortunately in charge of the local morgue. I need to see the wounds that killed the young humans for myself if I am to know what dangers I'll encounter during my hunt. Or what my corpse would look like should I fail." Julia thought aloud, to convince herself of the necessity of it to complete her contract despite her certainty that the 'conversation' with the so called 'priest' is not going to be particularly pleasant, but she was willing to see this through, and the reward for the contract was more than enough compensation for any pains she might encounter along the way _"I've never left a job half-done, and this is n't going to be my first. I'll have to suck it up, I guess_ … _Hardly the worst thing I have to 'suck' this last twenty years."_ Bitter at her own thoughts, and not wishing to delve deeper to a particular event she had at the back of her mind, Julia turned her head to the left with her hands still on the back of it, her eyes half-open. She was looking lazily at the Eerie River's continuously increasing currents and found herself strangely calm and serene both at the sound and sight of it _"Better than doing drugs."_ She thought smiling.

When she found herself facing the night sky again, Julia's thoughts changed focus to her more immediate problem _"As for Dan and Iwan, I guess I have to kill both. Dan I can isolate somewhere, Axii him and snap his neck but I can't have his buddy get all suspicious of what might have occurred. Unlike Dan, Iwan didn't sound like an idiot, and under no illusion that I am harmless. Maybe I should kill Iwan first, just to be sure. I better do it tonight, right after their shift ends. Hope it's an all-nighter, must been at least two hours since I left the mayor's house. I should return there later to eavesdrop a little more, or ask the guards there replacing them about their shifts."_ After finally deciding her course of action, Julia closed her eyes, to allow herself at least a small moment of rest without unpleasant thoughts.

. . .

Some more time had passed. Julia opened her eyes _"So strange that I still consider the night sky so beautiful despite all the horrors that happened in my life occurred after the sun has been set."_

 _"But the moon, the stars… and the patterns they form, the unending vastness of darkness_ _…_

 _Just so beautiful!_

 _Erick once told me that the stars were the souls of the dead up in heaven and that they watch over us each night. That his 'real mother' was watching over him every night…_

 _I was only seven. A naïve, cowardly, stupid little girl that believed everything that's been told to! Even outlandish, completely baseless stories like these…_

 _But it was also, that, same night that I first kissed him… I wish I knew the significance of what that meant then… instead of simply try to copy my mother during her working hours."_

As she was losing herself in her own thoughts, Julia raised her hand towards the sky, as if attempting to reach for the moon, and with her index finger started 'drawing' shapes following the patterns of stars she could still see in the sky. Some clouds that weren't there before when she first came here were blocking her view of some of the stars she would like to add to her 'drawings', she didn't like clouds during the night. Since she lacked the fully enhanced eyesight proper 'witchers' had, clouds during nighttime meant complete blindness to her without the Cat potion.

While finishing one of her 'star drawing' Julia's hand, mostly out of a reflex, formed the Sign of Quen. Being casted unintentionally and without any true effort put behind it, the Sign manifested itself as a single yellow 'firefly', circling around her. Not seeing any guards in the immediate vicinity she wasn't quick to dispel it, as she, to her own shame, found the Sign's manifestation quite 'cute'. She immediately berated herself internally for not thinking the practical application first. Quen was the first Sign every young witch or witcher ever learned in all the Schools, even those that didn't specialize in it. 'The Witcher's shield' the Witchers called it, and it was a well earned moniker among the male mutants as they found themselves using it even more frequently as the years passed them by since unlike their female counterparts, or more specifically the ones hailing from the Raven School, their regeneration diminished with age, with some very specific exceptions. Despite her shame, Julia's eyes found themselves following the magical firefly.

 _"I am such a pathetic excuse for a Witch."_ Despite berating herself internally, using her long dead sword instructor's trademark insult, Julia found herself genuinely smiling remembering Marian's incredibly pissed-off face. She was probably the only young Witch in the entire School of the Raven that didn't hate her since day one, even if the feeling wasn't mutual, as the first day of their meeting ended with Marian kicking her in the stomach. Even so, the sword instructor was the first person to inform the young female mutants, without any pretense, of their new lives and roles in society, Julia didn't remember the exact order, but it went somewhat like this:

Their old lives have been -for those who actually had one- over and that their families won't accept them back for a number of different reasons, and that none of them was worth hearing. That they will all -provided they survive long enough- eventually get themselves raped and that they should not get themselves too 'butthurt' over it, she even advised them to work at the brothel of the first big town they'll visit or street walk periodically both for extra income and to better 'disconnect' themselves from what she then described as "socially acceptable female mental state", only to be met with confusion and change her phrasing to "Whore yourselves up, this world hates prudes!" That they should completely forget any stupid ideas they might have about having a 'normal' life: husbands, children, and the whole family package in general, it would only kill them faster and it never really works out, not even with Witchers, Sorcerers (especially them, she added), or a Higher Vampire if they really wish to test their luck, the silver line, she added, was that being a Higher Vampire's lover was that they might end up dying in their beds…

Julia didn't remember the rest.

 _"Well. Marian's 'nice' lecture mostly fell to deaf ears that day it seems, considering that not a single one of my Conspiracy wintered at the Amell Fortress that year. Violeta being the sole exception. My absence was for different reasons though than Celina and Angelika, whom they've returned to their… 'families' in Cintra and Redania respectively. Never understood why they bother themselves with that._

 _What was there to talk about with them!?_

 _Why gave them away in the first place!?_

 _They already knew that when they left the keep!_

 _Celina was given away because she was the third mouth in a family that could barely feed one, as well as being the only girl! And Angelika was a nobleborn that came during an eclipse… Joseph even told her that he actually needed to pay a small fortune, promised magical aid in times of need, and say every bullshit in the book to convince her parents to give her to him instead of his more 'respectable' colleagues that wanted to vivisect her, a guarantee that she won't present any problems in the future_ _…_ _all in the name of science_ _…_ _Of course! And in the end he succeeded in acquiring her by aiding her family into massacring one of their rival noble families._

 _What fucking beautiful childhood memories were there to discuss about!?_

 _"Don't you have any happy memories of your mama?" You asked me once Celina!_

 _Well, Ye-up! Of course I did! My beatings every time she returned angry from work! Mrs Tiggy-Winkle's death by her hand with me crying as she was beating her with Angry Leena! Those perverts I had to please when mother had the 'bright' idea to make use of my 'delicate features', as one of those sick fucks put it, telling me that this would make me understand what she's been through every night to feed a mistake like me and finally earn my keep! Erick's death…"_

Julia sprang up from her laying down position drenched in cold sweat, her heart racing uncontrollably.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. It was easy. She had done it many times already.

Once calmed down from her panic attack, Julia sat with her knees pulled close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them _"If I was a human with the need to believe in any gods, I will probably think that this was their way of showing me that they have a sense of humor. It's like someone says "Hey Julia, see? You won't be calm anywhere, and there's no way your life will ever improve. So why bother? Kill yourself and join your sisters. Maybe third time's indeed the charm.""_ She thought to herself and laughed, thinking about how bad her life has always been, but the thing that she found the most hilarious was that she only had those panic attacks only when remembering the events in detail, otherwise she couldn't help but laugh at her piling misfortune. The Quen Sign's magic 'firefly' vanished as she stopped laughing.

"Hello." Julia heard suddenly. The voice came from behind her, though she hadn't heard any steps from the moment she came here.

She turned around and saw that the greeting came from a raven. The very same raven she had met this afternoon.

"Pretty one" Julia said smiling and whistle to the beautiful bird, edging him to come closer so the she can pet him.

The beautiful bird came a little closer. "Hello." He repeated. Julia guessed that the full extent of his knowledge of the human tongue probably ended with that word. "Why so sad? You're hungry? I am pretty sad when hungry." The beautiful bird said in his own language and tilted his head.

Only after the raven mentioned it, Julia realized that she, indeed, haven't eaten anything since the night before yesterday. She always forgot to eat when her mind was occupied with 'things'…

She was lying to herself.

The truth was that she simply didn't have much of an appetite anymore, and only ate when her body really needed it… since food didn't taste the same anymore… not without at least a little blood…

"Yes. I am hungry." Julia answered to the beautiful bird in his own language.

"Wait here." The beautiful bird cawed and flew away.

He returned after a while with a peach in his beak. He landed close to Julia, flapped his black wings and offered it to her.

It seemed edible enough.

"I know your kind is picky like humans." He cawed after he caught Julia looking at the peach for some time.

Julia cawed in gratitude and moved to reach for the raven's beak, intending to stroke it.

The raven flapped its wings and cawed in agitation, as soon as Julia's index and middle fingers touched the tip its beak, and quickly backed away from her.

Julia picked up the peach that was resting on the dry stone. Hurt by the corvid's open rejection, she lowered her eyes, and look at the peach. She was used to cats hissing at her as she passed by and didn't bother by it, since most times she simply strangle them, but she didn't enjoy to be perceived as a threat by other living creatures. Especially ravens, dogs and horses.

She took a small bite from the peach. It didn't leave any taste in her mouth, but Julia continued eating it anyway. She knew she needed the nutrient. There was a time that she really liked peaches. All fruit, in fact. When she was young she remembered that they used to have a sweet taste… and now the thing she considered the sweetest was human or elven blood. The only 'normal' things that still tasted sweet to her anymore were grapes, strawberries and honey. Julia always found the human-elven conflict pointless but after tasting blood from both, she found the ever increasing hatred between the two races hilariously tragic, since the blood of both tasted similarly sweet, though Julia preferred that of humans more as elven blood was sickeningly sweet without some kind of negative emotional backlash, while human blood was just about right in its most basic… _"What the fuck are you thinking Julia?!"_ She screamed to herself internally as she took the last bite.

The corvid cawed in a low volume. Julia wasn't sure why, but the manner of the caw sounded like an apology.

"Can you follow me for a while?" The raven cawed after a while.

"What is it?" Julia cawed questioningly.

"There is an Unwanted. A young female human. She took care of me for a while. Can you help her?"

Julia tilted her head to the right a little at the raven's unexpected request "Help her? How?"

"With useful clinky shinnies."

Julia sighed as '"useful clinky shinnies"' must have stood for 'shiny' coins.

"I'll make it up to you. I still owe you for my life."

"How will you?" Julia crossed her arms.

"With shiny magic. I know you use them when you Hunt Outsiders. I have many in my nest."

Julia giggled. With '"shiny magic"' the raven likely meant silver, most likely silver cutlery.

 _"Ravens and crows are such misunderstood creatures. Show them kindness and they saw it back, either with gifts, by visiting you…"_ Julia giggled at her next thought _"…praising you to their flock, they even return some of the things you may have lost…"_ She frowned at the next one _"…and that is more kindness than most bipeds are willing to give during their entire lifetimes, and they have twice or more time."_

"Lead the way." She cawed after a while. While aware that it was unlikely that the raven had anything especially useful to her in his nest, Julia admired the pretty bird's willingness to take care of his friend all the same.

The raven cawed triumphantly "I knew no female can ever say 'no' to shiny gifts, no matter the species!"

Julia rolled her eyes "Yes. Of course… We do that." She said in the common tongue while nodding, non-too seriously. She didn't even gave much thought in what she just said.

"Before we 'fly away' together though Pretty one, allow me to let you in on a little secret that applies to all females, regardless of species." Julia said in the raven's tongue, a half-honest/half-mocking smile on her face.

"Really? Thank you. What is it?" The raven flapped his wings and cawed in an enthusiastic manner.

"Don't. Reject. Us. Especially when we are vulnerable… Some of our reactions include grievous harm to the body."

* * *

 **/** Learn more about Celina in the upcoming story: The Raven from Cintra

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Enchantress Maleila's Guide** **– Categorization**

* * *

A note found inside the tome: I would love my accumulated knowledge to be preserved and improved upon by future generations of mages and scholars. Hopefully to be treated with more objective eyes and perhaps more altruistic future plans than today's faux intellectuals are willing to consider.

The Categories listed below have been used as identifiers by the Masters of the Trials as a means to track the progression of the abilities that are granted, improved and even evolved on the Mutants over the years.

... - ~~~ - ...

 **The Witches:** Despite its modern use as a derogatory term when referring to sorceresses, village wise women, forbidden cult priestesses, or simply women that fell out of favor for one reason or another, 'Witch' was originally used by the School of the Raven to refer to the female monster hunters created there. Serving briefly as Magic Instructor in the School of the Raven among some others during my youth, I managed to uncover that the terms 'Witch' and 'Witcher' predate the Conjunction of the Spheres and both seem to be associated with Veles, a deity of the Old World that's namesake is shared with the well-known magical runestone, popular among the monster hunters themselves as well as warrior-mages that employ advanced combat skills in accord with their spells. While both 'Witch' and 'Witcher' has been demonized over the recent years, I still never managed to uncover the added ignorance that seem to accompany the former term, as a witcher will never be mistaken (most of the time) for a sorcerer, a herbalist or a shaman, as I was absent during the School of the Raven's destruction. {5 # 12 Y = M + E, Zokar}

 _ **/ Category 0 \**_

Also known as the Proto-witches and Proto-witchers, those were the first individuals that survive the first dangerous alchemical procedures that will eventually become the Trials of the Grasses and turned into the first mutants. Being flawed prototypes and thus not proper Witches or Witchers, few of them lived the life of a monster hunter, and even fewer lived past middle age. Those of them that developed the long, still undetermined, lifespan common of their 'species' could be counted on one hand. And I only ever encountered one surviving member of them.

The Proto-witch named Elwira was made in the unique female-only School of the Raven and served as a teacher and researcher of alchemy till her death. According to Master of the Trials Joseph, it was her mutation that served as the genetic template for the mutants' resistance to various biological hazards as well as the accelerated metabolism that allowed them to instantly gain the effects of their special potions.

What little information I managed to gather about the other 'templates' are scarce as they are second hand information provided by various individuals that have not necessary met the Proto-witchers in person and therefore not completely trustworthy. Despite this, I wish to remind my readers that every story (even those born of imagination) must be heard as they always contain at least a grain of truth:

* Apparently the 'template' for agility, reflexes and reaction time was made in the School of the Cat, and if the Witcher named Schrödinger is to be believed, he was both the first 'real' Witcher and the only one of the 'templates' that walked the Path and presumably died on it. (Schrödinger refused to divulge any more information regarding the Proto-witcher.)

* While the source of information regarding the 'template' for the enhancement of senses like smell, hearing, taste and, according to same source, a sixth sense that allows the mutated monster hunters to 'feel evil', could be lightly putted as untrustworthy, it is still the only information that I managed to uncover about the Proto-witcher. According to Witcher Ulver of the School of the Boar, the Proto-witcher's name was Emil, he was made in the aforementioned School and never went on the Path due to being fat, ugly and cowardly, and to Ulver's words "The worst swordswoman the Continent has ever seen". The most interesting, if contradictory, part of his story was the Proto-witcher's death as he apparently had three: In his first account of the events, he died by liver failure because he emptied all the alcohol from the School's cellars while on some kind of strong hallucinogen. In the second one, he died during the act with a Succubus after spending five days with it non-stop. When found dead besides the Succubus by the other Boars, the creature said in its defense "I am of the opinion that one should try everything once. But this one I wish I hadn't tried." And in the last account, he apparently found the courage to take swords and went on the Path to hunt a 'Golden Dragon'. In this story he died by jumping from a high tower with his silver sword in hand straight to the beast's mouth while screaming. Ulver praised the Proto-witcher's courage and craftiness in this story as he claimed that the Dragon died from an extreme case of diarrhea the fourth day after devouring him. While the accounts provided by Ulver, also known as 'The Troll' of Ard Skellig are highly contradictory (bordering into unlikely), no other accounts or information has been presented to date as none of the still living Witchers was around during the Proto-witcher's time.

* The 'template' for the signature amber-colored cat-like eyes, common to all Witchers that allowed them to see better in the dark and enhanced their vision considerably was made, despite the emblematic irony, in the School of the Viper. Unfortunately, no more information have been gathered about the possible fate of this Proto-witcher since the School of the Viper tended to be very elusive and protective about their School's secrets, enough to murder anyone that asked a little too many questions on the subject in fact. Only gain fame, or rather infamy after the role the Vipers played during the Third Northern War. The School of the Raven, despite being one of the first ever formed, had no knowledge of the Vipers' existence which makes the exact date of its formation impossible to determine. But apparently they must have had some connections with the Schools of the North and even shared some secrets considering that the amber-colored cat-like eyes have become the first visual cue of a male mutant's status as a Witcher, regardless of affiliations. For reasons never clarified by Master Joseph, the Raven School Witches all lacked this feature. While mere conjecture coming from someone that never studied the field, it is quite possible that that the hormonal changes happening during the Trial of the Dreams is a necessity for the mutation of the eyes, and these changes may simply have unsavory results to young females. While some rumors that the School of the Cat and the School of the Griffin attempted to create their own versions of 'Witches', and add this feature as well, using modified versions of their Trials of the Dreams, none of these rumors have been confirmed to date.

Unfortunately, while apparently there were other 'templates', I didn't manage to find any more information about their whereabouts. And I am afraid I won't be able to gather anymore as my death draws nearer every day.

 _ **/ Category I \**_

Are the candidates that survived the Standard or Experimental procedures of the Trial of the Grasses. Those were the first successfully made mutated monster hunters that combined all the finest traits of the 'templates'.

Notes on the procedures:

Candidates that reacted more positively to the early stage of the Trials, known as the Choice, which includes a specialized diet consisting of mushrooms, mosses, herbs and a physical training regime, were subjected to the Standard procedure of the Trial of the Grasses. This procedure opens the body to change and allows for easier assimilation of the mutagens used to optimize the candidate's body to the specific fighting disciplines unique to every School. Having twenty five percent chances of success, the Standard procedure was constantly updated and improved upon through knowledge gathered from Experimental procedures.

Candidates whose bodies reacted poorly to the Choice are subjected to the Experimental procedure of the Trial of the Grasses instead. With the odds already stuck against them, the candidates were effectively turned into human guinea pigs used by the Masters of the Trials, to test the effects and results of newly discovered or magically grown herbs, prototype elixirs and combinations of different kinds of mutagens harvested from various monster species. Arguably, this procedure was almost always proved fetal to the young candidates, and if a Master of the Trials deemed that an entire group of children undergo the Experimental procedure, it was almost a certainty that none of them would survive the Trial.

 ** _/ Category II \_**

Candidates that survived and reacted better to the Trial of the Grasses' mutagen assimilation process and increased said mutagen's effectiveness to even greater extent. The reason for this 'enhancement' seem to be an inherent genetic compatibility between the mutagens and the candidate's nervous system, and therefore completely random since full comprehension of genetics haven't been completely understood yet by human scholars to determine maximum compatibility.

 ** _/ Category III \_**

The candidates whose bodies displayed little to no adverse effects to Standard or Experimental procedures of the Trial of the Grasses and the Trial of the Dreams, and therefore subjected to even further mutations, dubbed the Projects, to be granted enhanced, and sometimes, even more unusual abilities and powers. Category III Witchers (and Witches) are more readily identifiable due to their rather exotic or as the ignorant common idiots rather call them 'freaky' physical traits. These individuals count as the most likely survivors after the mass persecution of the mutated monster hunters.

According to what information I managed to salvage from the destroyed notes of the Masters of the Trials they were six original Projects, specifically made to create even more powerful Witchers and Witches with different results in mind. Those that I've learned of were called: Project Progression, Project Eternalize and Project Arcanum. And according to the notes, development on the latter two has early been abandoned by the Masters of the Trials.

 **(!) New category**

 ** _/ Category IV \_**

The recent appearances of mutant enforcers during various incidents, most notably The Vizima Uprising in the North orchestrated by Grand Master Jacques de Aldersberg, as well as the monster hunter's continuous usage of The Law of Surprise, despite their apparent lack of the advanced scientific guidance to properly turn children into Witchers, is effectively what made me create this category.

Those 'lesser-witchers', are mutants that have been made after the destruction of the Schools from bits and pieces of the knowledge the mutated monster hunters managed to preserve with difficulty over the years. These mutants' appearances, training, abilities and even affiliations vary greatly. Some have been created with stolen formulae from the Schools and modified with the purpose of creating stronger, faster and more obedient foot soldiers for various nefarious individuals, many of whom are rogue mages. Others have been created by the monster hunters themselves for reasons that also seem to vary: A desperate attempt to keep their numbers steady out of a sense of necessity? A twisted sense of solidarity since many Witchers has been cast outs?

Whatever the reason for their creation, Category IV mutants tend to be, for the most part, weaker than real Witches or Witchers since they typically possess inferior versions of their powers, skills and abilities, and some subjects even completely lack a few of them. Despite their tendency towards inferiority it seems that some of the recent experiments conducted by the monster hunters wielded some unprecedented results, if the stories about the blindingly fast 'ashen-haired witcheress' of the School of the Wolf are true.

... - ~~~ - ...

He closed the tome.

"Interesting. What else the old woman hid away I wonder _…_ Hmmmm."


	6. Night walk - Worring signs

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 6: Night Walk - part 2: Worring signs**

* * *

Following the raven to his supposed friend, Julia found herself passing by the burned down district that the non-humans use to live in before the Redanians came to Weeping Willow, still walking close by the edges of the Eerie River. The River's currents have become a lot stronger compare to what had been, Julia estimated, three hours before. The wind has also become stronger and colder, much colder than when she left mayor Henryk's house. She didn't like these rather sudden changes.

The snows were supposedly some way off, but with every year passing, they seem to be coming a little bit sooner. It was originally days, now they're weeks, and she fear that soon enough, they will be months. _"Winter is coming. Every year, a little bit sooner. I don't want to stay in the Northern Kingdoms during it… But where should I go?"_ She ponders as she was falling behind her ebony feathered guide.

The sudden sound of rustling leaves caught Julia's attention as she and the corvid were passing by an alleyway leading inside the district from the road. She stopped and turned to the left to spot a tree, in perfect condition, amidst the burned down houses. Curious by the contradiction, Julia stopped following the raven and approached the tree to take a better look at it.

She placed the lampion to the dirty, blackened flagstone pavement by the right side of the tree, as it gave better illumination from that side. She started slowly cycling the tree, carefully examining it.

 _"Nothing but an ordinary apple tree…"_ Julia determined as she completed a full cycle around the tree and back at the lampion. The tree had already bear fruit.

 _"…But at this time of year? And it's way too tall for being grown inside a town."_ Julia contemplated after a while. She kneeled by the lampion and took out the medallion from her belt.

Julia bend her head in a kneeling position to look at the raven head shaped medallion that she hold on her open crossed palms. She whispered an incantation, and the medallion's emblem's eyes emitted a soft blue light, signifying that it has been tuned to detect magical disturbances. She looked at it for a while before wearing it around her neck. It has been some time since she wore it like a proper Witch _…_ or Witcher. The terminology meant little for anyone beside her anyway.

She came close to the tree, and before she even touched it, her medallion started vibrating. _"I knew it! But inside the very town?"_ She thought with her eyes wide.

Both curious and slightly alarmed by the presence of the 'enchanted' tree, Julia decided to further investigate.

Kneeling once again she repeated the ritual to retune the medallion. With a deep red light it changed from magical to monster detection.

Once again she came close to the tree and inspected it. She touched it, cycle it, she even bring herself close enough to it to 'hear' it, in case it was someone cursed, she had seen similar curses in the past. The medallion was silent, so was the tree. _"So its 'just' an enchanted tree? Our monster's work? Or the late wise woman of Weeping Willow was even wiser."_ While observing the tree, Julia's eyes fell on one of the apples hanging from one of its upper branches.

Not hearing anyone approaching, Julia casted the Sign of Quen, putting some effort this time around, the Sign manifested itself as three magical 'fireflies' instead of one. She took a few quick steps back, readied herself and rushed towards the tree, she leapt, and once her boots landed on its body, she use the momentum to propel herself high enough to grab the closest apple. She landed with a roll, and before even completing a full turn, she quickly get back on her feet, hopping twice as she recovered due to the sudden burst of adrenaline.

Steadying her posture, Julia grabbed the green apple with both hands. Being physically weaker than a witcher, she needed to put some extra effort in splitting it in half with bare hands, as she wasn't willing to put it anywhere close to her mouth, and risk a thousand years sleep. She was immune to most diseases and poisons but magically amplified ones were bit trickier to deal with.

The apple gave way. It didn't suddenly turn to worms, rotten testicles or ovaries, ashes, or anything unsettling at Julia's gradual application of force. Its inside looked completely ordinary, even tasty. Whatever magic was residing in the tree, it wasn't of the forbidden kind.

Willing to learn all she could, Julia once again repeated the ritual and retuned her medallion to magic detection. After walking a good deal away from the enchanted tree, she brought the splinted apple closer to her medallion. It was silent. _"So whomever this sorcery belongs to, it seems to be some kind of 'vital force'. While residing within the tree, it doesn't keep it alive like a 'lifeline'. Otherwise the fruit should start to rot once cut off from the source. Yet it remains healthy_ _…_ _meaning just a 'touch' of this magic is enough to give back life…"_ –– "Hello." Julia's thoughts got interrupted by a familiar voice coming from above.

The raven has returned, and landed on the flagstones by Julia's left side. She turned to face him. They way the scarlet haired Witch and the corvid were positioned, make it seemed as if the lampion's colorful light was dividing them.

"There you are. I was looking all over for you. Why you stopped?" The raven said in its own language, tilting his head curiously.

"You get distracted by shinnies, I get distracted by the 'unusual'. It's in the blood." Julia answered in the raven's language, and tilted her head to point at the tree.

The raven backed down a little "Why are you speaking like that?"

Instead of answering, Julia threw the half of the apple that she was holding on her right hand towards the raven's way. It stopped halfway between her and the raven. It was intentional. "Are you not hungry?" She cawed, with narrowed eyes.

The raven didn't move. "Are you angry? Did I say something to insult you?" He cawed after a while. Julia supposed that something in her volume or manner of cawing must had alarmed the raven. She didn't speak with ravens often enough to know the meaning of certain 'word' patterns.

"Where are you leading me?" Julia cawed in a manner she knew as accusatory. She didn't care about being friendly anymore.

"I already told you. We are going to my friend." The raven's cawed in a way that didn't betray any feelings.

"Yes, you told me that. And how is that 'friend' of yours by the way." Julia cawed in the same accusatory way, and started toying with the other half of the splinted apple in her left hand, throwing it in the air and catching it.

"It's a young female human, about half your height, with a long mane that reaches to her -" –– "I think you're lying!" Julia interrupted the corvid.

"Why would I lie? And about what?"

"Because humans here hate your kind, believing that you bring bad luck, so it's unlikely that an 'Unwanted', especially a human here, will try to help you in an hour of need." Julia took two steps forward. "More likely to eat you!" She added as she walked.

"This one is kind!" The corvid protested, loudly.

"You are also the only raven I have seen since I've got here, which is curious, since you are not exactly lone travelers. Furthermore you overreacted when I tried to stroke your beak. I know your bonding rituals. And I cannot find any good reasons as of why would you shun me so loudly… Except if someone wants you to. Someone powerful you owe your allegiance."

"I… just don't like being touched in the head, I -" –– "Are you spying for the Guardian of the White Forest?!" Julia's changed her way of speaking to a threatening way, and 'threatening' in the raven tongue, meant threat of pain.

The other half of the apple hit the flagstones.

After a moment of complete silence, the raven attempted to fly away. Expecting that, Julia draw the Sign of Axii, quickly enough before the corvid manage to reach any dangerous heights. Hypnotized by the Sign, he fell on the ground while half above the ground. The height was safe enough.

She run immediately towards the raven and caught him. Grabbing him by neck and body, just firmly enough to not cause any real harm to the raven.

The Axii Sign wear off. "That hurt… What happened?" The raven cawed, looking around a bit and finally at the scarlet haired Witch that was now holding his life in her hands.

The corvid started thrashing around in a vain attempt to free himself from Julia's grasp. She tightened her hold on his neck and brought him closer to her face.

"You… saved me before… why kill me now?" The raven cawed with difficulty.

Julia loosened her hold slightly. "Be true. Or I swear I'll twist your neck. Where are you leading me?!" Julia cawed with as threateningly a tone as she could manage. She didn't like what she was doing to the raven, but everything pointed to the pretty bird. She had no problem defending herself from those serving Leshy or other horrors, but she hated torturing animals like that. If anything, they deserved quick and clean deaths, at most, no pain and suffering. She so wished it was a human in his place.

"I told you. We are going to help my friend. Why you get mad at me? What did I do wrong?" The raven cawed, in a really sad way.

"Is helping your friend going to be harmful to me in any way? Tell me the truth." Julia cawed and squeezed.

"No harm… only steal… no harm I swear!"

Julia loosened her hold. "You were leading me into a trap?"

"No! No trap. No bleed. No pain… I was just… going to bring you to a noisy place by the river, and then my friend was to snatch your useful shinnies and run to the alleys so that you lose her."

Julia's formed a fake smile "So smart you two are! I am a Mutant, pigeon-brain. You understand that? Even if your plan. Did. Work. Out. Do you honestly think that your friend will manage to get away from me? I'll Hunt her down and you too!"

The raven fell silent for a moment. "Would you really go for a Hunt for just a few shinnies?" He cawed after some time.

"You know what, for a raven. You're kind of dumb!"

"Why so possessive of just a few clincky shinnies? You could always find more. Your kind is the most skilled hunters there is. You are fast, humans bend to your will, you control the Elements, you are the predators of wolves, bears, dracolizards…" The raven's way of speaking changed suddenly to a more 'pleading' tone "…You don't even need them! You can survive on your own! My friend needs them! Her friends need them! Why not help them? Why? Humans have always more than they need. Why not -" –– "Shut up! Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" Distressed by the raven's 'words', Julia interrupted him in the common tongue while squeezing both neck and body tighter.

She released him abruptly.

He immediately flew towards the apple tree and perched on one of its highest branches.

"I'm sorry, but I don't trust you anymore. And I can't… I won't help your friend. Her suffering isn't my suffering, nor is any other Unwanted ones." Julia cawed after a while, looking at the lampion. She still hated it when she had to remind herself not to pay attention to the 'moral lectures' that any exception to the rule was willing to offer her. Humans and even other older and supposedly wiser beings have occasionally tried to convince her of a 'higher calling' or a 'better way', and they were always either too weak to make any real difference, or had an ulterior motive… Even Silver-Eyed Eithné, for all her grace, beauty and eloquence, was nothing more than another high class racist, and in fact way worse than the Hill Folk. If creatures like these that have centuries of experiences compare to the lowly humans could be petty, self-serving, shortsighted and cruel, an ordinary raven's 'ideals' that they live even less, and the sum of their ambition pretty much is: eat, gossip, play, steal, mate, fly and then repeat any order you feel like it, is hardly worthy of any consideration.

Raven Witches age slowly, but looking like a twenty-five year old woman for over a century, didn't stop her mind from maturing nor the disappointment of eventually learning that the more things change the more they remain the same. Julia was old, too old, to believe in any 'ideals' anymore.

"Fly away now Pretty one. I want to burn that tree." Julia cawed after a while.

"What?" The raven cawed loudly and flapped its wings in distress. Probably due to Julia's rough squeezing of his neck, the caw came out more stressed.

"Fly away, or I'll burn you with it."

"No. Wait." The raven left the tree's branch and landed close to Julia. Close enough to risk his possible safety, in fact. "The Unwanted need its fruit."

Julia ignored the raven's pleading caws and, with her left hand, formed the Sign of Igni. Small sparks flew from her palm, and starting from its lower bark, slowly but surely were engulfing the tree. Not being trained the way the Cats, Wolves or Griffins have been to alternate the Sign's casting into a more steady or accurate form, Julia needed to put extra effort not to lose control of the Sign's intensity and accidentally ignite the entire area.

The raven was cawing as loudly as it could, non-stop, alternating between pleading and, most likely, cursing.

"Shut up! I am trying to… Oh NO!" Was the last thing Julia managed to say in the raven's tongue before losing the Sign's control. It was only for a moment, that the sparks flew faster, hotter and in a wider arc from Julia's palm before she dismissed the Sign, but it was enough to engulf the tree in flame almost instantly. The wild fire started spreading on the remains of a nearby house to the right of the tree.

She quickly threw her right hand, fingers spread into the Sign of Aard. Putting all her will behind its casting, the Sign manifested as a wide, powerful blast of cold wind that completely put out the flames before they spread any farther.

Julia started feeling light-headed, and almost lost her balance for a second. Her last Sign casting, coupled with the previous one, have been proved too taxing on her without the Tawny Owl or Petri's Philter potion. Despite taking some effort not to kneel on one foot till her dizziness passed, Julia never lost her footing.

Once snapped out of her dizzy spell, Julia looked around to see that the raven was nowhere to be found.

"…Telling you, something's burning!" Julia heard suddenly.

"Stop running like someone put fire on your arse, Stan!" A gravelly voice was heard, closer than the previous one. She also heard approaching footsteps, heavy with the clanking of armor.

Moving quickly, Julia hid behind a half-collapsed wooden wall of a charred house left of the tree. With the same hand gesture that she used to cast it, she dispelled the Sign of Quen.

The guards stopped running. They were close to the tree, but not enough. Julia could easily track their movement from her hiding spot, thanks to the light their torches emitted.

"See Stan, nothing, just your damn ima… What the hell!? Something smells burned." The man with the gravelly voiced said.

"Wait here." Stan's voice was heard.

Tracking the light, Julia realized that one of the guards was walking towards the tree.

"What the fuck _…_ Gottard, Bertram, take a look at… that." Stan said with a loud gulp.

His fellow guards also moved closer to the tree.

"What the… The bark looks like it was just on fire…Hell! It even smells like it but… is this ice? And there is a chill. What the fuck happened here?" The gravelly voiced man spoke in such an unpleasant tone that made it easy for Julia to imagine his grimace despite not looking at him.

Julia heard a noise. "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing Gottard?" Stan asked anxiously.

"What do you think I am doing? I need to piss godsdamn it." A third voice was heard.

"Here?! You serious?! What if the monster did it?" Stan asked in an even more anxious tone, bordering fearful.

"Here? Come on Stan. Since when did you become such chickenshit? And the monster is in the forest not inside Weeping Willow." Gottard answered in a dismissive tone.

Another noise was heard. "Gottard I was in the western gate! Roots, vines, sharp food just sprang out of the ground like… like… like the archespores at the swamplands of the fatherland. But it was way worse. Voltaire's eldests trapped inside. Gert tried to take the youth's corpse off'em. And then the vines out of fucking nowhere grabbed him! Choking him and drawing him to the sharp food. We have to cut them with our swords to release him, and I'm telling you the sharpened wood was actually expa- ex- expand, yes expand, I- I've never seen anything like that!" The more Stan continued speaking the more his voice tremble, especially towards the end, Julia could clearly hear his fear.

"Stop it, you fuckhead! What are you, a woman?" Gottard said in an annoyed tone and by the sounds heard, Julia guessed that he shoved Stan aside.

Julia heard a dribbling sound along with a relieved sigh coming from Gottard. She didn't need to think much to understand what was happening.

"See Stan? No vines caught my prick, or fire… Oh and see that, it didn't suddenly fall from between my legs." Gottard said with a chuckle. "Now I became the man that pissed on every tree in Weeping Willow, including a 'haunted' one." Gottard added with a rather audible laugh. Julia rolled her eyes. _"Why men love so much to compete with each other in either idiocy or vulgarity? That I'll never understand."_ She thought grimacing.

"Oh by the Eternal Fire… Shut up both of you! What you…" Julia heard a sound of crackling glass as Bertram abruptly paused. "See here." He continued. Footsteps were heard, along with some other noise.

"Well, it seems that the 'haunting' was just this broken lamp Stan." Gottard said with a small laugh. It was only then that Julia remembered the lampion. She was so focused in putting out the fire she started that she forgot about it completely. Julia reasoned that the lampion must have been caught in the Aard Sign's blast radius, hurled towards the tree and broke. Yes that must have happened, as she only remember the moon's light when she rushed into her hiding place, and no other light.

"Mhm… Aaaand where did the ice and moist came from. Professional Witcher, you?" Stan said in a mocking tone. Julia couldn't help but smile from the way it was delivered.

Julia heard a sound she recognized as the drawing of a sword "Don't you fucking compare me to those abominations again if you want to keep your tongue, Stan!" Gottard's voice was full of anger as he spoke. Julia didn't heard any sounds that suggested that they were about to attack its other… yet.

Julia heard a sound, she was sure it was someone grabbing someone else. "Hey! Stop acting like children you two." It was Bertram's voice that was heard.

"Gottard put that thing back. Now!" He said after a while in a commanding tone, his gravelly voice was adding to the effect. Judging by the sounds, the sword returned to its scabbard.

"Hey Stan. Was it anything like this when the 'delivery' occurred?" Bertram said after a while.

"What delivery?" Stan asked.

Julia heard someone sighing "I mean when you, and whoever else was there, were at the western gate and Voltaire's children were brought to you in a nice vegetative package with the only thing missing being a garland of daisies serving as the ribbon." Bertram said in a fake happy tone.

"Vegetables, daisies… what the fuck you say Bertram, you find this a joke?" Stan sounded revolted as he spoke.

"Fuck, I am hungry now. Did you really have to speak about vegetables you two. And we have another five hours of 'walking the fuck around without anything interesting ever happening duty.' Fucking hell!" Gottard said with irritation clear in his voice.

Julia heard an audible slapping sound accompanied by loud sigh of exasperation. "I never expected that I'll ever think Trollololo was actually smart… But He. Was. Smarter. Than both of you!" Bertram barked after a while. "Was there any cold, ice, clouds, moisture, anything similar with what's here now! Right. Now! When you were at the western gate that night! Any sudden changes in weather?! Any ill omens?!" He continued with his voice gradually increasing in volume with every word that came out of his mouth.

"Stop yelling Bertram, I've heard you. Damn… No! Nothing like here. It was as always: I wake up around three in the morning, went for a piss, wank it off a bit since I was in the mood, got ready, took a scrap of bread with me, and went by the gate. I was with Gert when it happened. The sun hasn't even risen yet… The ground was shaking and soon enough the giant roots burst out of it, with Voltaire's eldest children trapped in them, already decaying. Seven paces away from us they were. It happened suddenly without any changes." While not as intense as before, Stan's voice still had a touch of fear in it.

 _"So the forest's monster brought the carcasses of the tavern owner's children somewhere between four and five in the morning. Almost four hours after I came here. Damn it! If I wasn't so tired that night, I could have…"_ Julia's thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a hissing sound coming from in front of her.

She turned her head upward and discovered, to her misfortune, that the unpleasant sound belonged to a cat.

With slow, soft steps, the feline was moving closer towards her. Julia cursed internally, eyes wide and teeth clenching in a panic.

The feline finally stepped completely into the light that the torches of the guardsmen provided, revealing its grey fur and yellow eyes.

The cat hissed again. This time more audibly. His face was only portraying hostility.

"Stan, Bertram. Did you hear that?" Gottard said anxiously.

"Hear what?" Stan asked.

The cat continued his slow advance towards the scarlet-haired Witch. Avoiding his eyes, Julia focused on his paws, claws slightly extended.

"It's nothing. Come on, you two." Bertram ordered after a while.

Julia heard the guardsmen's footsteps as they were taking their leave.

The cat was now only four small steps away from Julia. Before the light of the guardsmen's torches leave the witch and the cat in the shadows' embrace, Julia slowly raised her right hand, intending to hex the feline.

The cat hissed loudly, as if aware of Julia's intention, and lunged himself at her.

Reacting quickly, Julia grabbed the feline by the neck, mid-jump, with her already raised hand. She then immediately grabbed the cat's head with her left hand and twisted it to the left side. The feline left a small moan of pain before his neck snapped. It was low and only for a moment before he died, but Julia heard it.

"What the hell was that?" Julia heard Bertram's voice.

"A-A-Am-Ahm…Stan… g-go and see." Gottard said. His voice was trembling.

"Fuck you Gottard, you go!" Stan snapped back at him.

"Oh, fuck me. You are both acting like women, stay here you two." Bertram barked.

Julia started hearing footsteps again, approaching. She quickly placed the cat's corpse to the ground, and raised her right hand.

The footsteps stopped, close, the light of the guard's torch dispelling the shadows that made Julia's rather poor choice of a hiding place seem ideal a while ago from the left side.

The guard's armored hand was the first thing Julia saw, then his head. Bending slightly, he turn left. Julia was met with the face of a man around forty-five wearing a kettle hat, with a bushy mustache and a missing left eye. He took a small step forward. From a kneeling position, Julia swiftly draw the Sign of Axii with her raised hand before the torch's light reveal her completely to the guard.

"It is nothing. Just a fucking cat. Tell them that." Julia said in a low voice, just audible enough for the unpleasant looking guard to hear.

"…Yes." The guard said sluggishly.

"Bertram… You… live?" Stan asked. Julia could just imagine him trembling by the voice only.

"It is nothing. Just a fucking cat." The guard spoke without any passion in his voice, like a well programmed golem.

"A cat!" An enthusiastic voice was heard suddenly. Julia didn't recognize it. "Fuck you Bertram, I love cats! Get your ugly mug out of there, before you scare the poor thing away…" Julia recognized the voice as Gottard's "Come now kitty, kitty. Don't be afraid of Face-fucked Bertram, he was always this ugly." Gottard continued in a really jolly tone. Julia heard footsteps again, approaching.

"Shit." Julia swore under her breath, she couldn't believe her bad luck. The footsteps along with illumination were coming closer _…_

Bertram was still under the hypnotic effect of the Axii Sign…

Moving forward, quietly, while still half-kneeling, Julia took Bertram's knife from his leather shoulder strap, and with a snap of her fingers she snuffed out his torch with the more subtle but no less useful trick of the Aard Sign. She grabbed the back of his neck abruptly and stabbed him under the jaw, pushing the blade hard enough to make sure it reaches his skull. He dropped his torch. The Axii Sign's hypnotic effect left him. He was dead.

The footsteps have stopped. The Axii Sign's effect must have transferred to the approaching guard.

Julia pulled out the knife and unceremoniously, as if it was a sack of grain, pushed the guard's carcass to the left side using the hand that she was holding his neck with.

Moving fast, she sprung out of her cover and saw the remaining two guards. The older one closer, who definately was Gottard, was indeed under the Sign's influence.

"What the fuck?!" The younger guard standing in the back, almost twenty-five paces away, yelled. That one was Stan.

Julia quickly grabbed Gottard's left hand, the one holding the torch. At this very moment the Sign's influence passed, but it was too late for him already…

Julia slashed his throat with Bertram's knife. It happened so fast after he snapped out of his hypnosis that soon after the blade completely exited his throat from the right side, Gottard reached for his sword with his right hand only to leave it fall to the ground mid-draw to reach for his opened throat with an expression of shock and pain. Julia deprived him of his torch as his grip on it weakened, before kicking him away. He fell on his back while clutching his throat, choking on his own blood.

Julia's eyes turn towards the younger guard.

Stan's eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape. Julia could see that his hands were shaking thanks to the light his torch emitted.

"MURDER!" He screamed as his torch slipped from his right hand. Julia threw the knife, aiming at his throat…

She missed her mark slightly, due to the sudden reduction of illumination. The knife found his jaw instead. He stumbled back and groaned in pain _but stayed on his feet,_ he instinctively reached for his injury. The blade mustn't have reached deep enough.

Julia rushed towards him, almost half-expecting him to reach for his sword. He turned, trying to flee.

Julia dropped the torch, mid-running, to free her right hand. She caught up to him, grabbed him from the shoulders with both hands, kicked him in the right lower leg from behind, and threw him to the ground. He fell on his back and groan, his kettle hat left his head, rolling away like a wheel. Julia quickly put herself on top of the young guard. He made an attempt to reach for her neck, his movements were slow and lacking strength, certainly due to his wound. She pushed his hands away rather easily, grabbed the knife protruding from his jaw, twisted it a bit, and pulled it out. His screaming ended abruptly as Julia shank the knife into his skull. He died immediately, with his eyes open.

Julia left a moment to pass, still atop the younger guard. There was silence once again. She could even hear her own heartbeat. The only lighting she had was the one his torch, which was now resting on the flagstones, emitted.

"Now I've done it." Julia said to herself with a sigh after a while, her voice whispery enough to be audible only to her. _"Guess I have to make it seem like they killed one another. Better position the corpses. Hope that works out."_

She pulled out the knife from Stan's head. The blade red with the blood of the three guards she just killed…

She found herself looking at the bloodied blade intently…

She was tempted to taste…

There was still silence. She heard nothing approaching. But for how long? And the bodies still needed to be displayed properly… She tried to remind herself.

"How long has it been since I…" She knew the answer to her own question: Six months, eight days and probably three hours.

She tried to indulge as little in the delightful red nectar as possible… She feared that it just might be the reason she has lost most of her tastes. She had no solid proof to back up this theory, but it was difficult not to think there was some connection, considering that she has now started comparing the taste of blood with 'normal' food, while almost a century back she used the reverse paradigm.

 _"Overindulgence is definitely a bad thing, no matter the case, but to completely abstain from something you like isn't healthy either… Here I am, lying to myself again."_ She was well aware of just how weak and hypocritical that was from her…

"Just a little… Only a little…" Julia didn't like with what she was comparing herself with at the moment.

Her hand trembled slightly as she brought the knife closer to her face. Hesitating slightly, she pulled out her tongue… its tip touched the blade from the lower point, where the blood started… She already felt the taste of the guards' blood. It was… delightful… more than she actually expected. Closing her eyes, she started licking the blade upwards, slowly, to better savor the taste. The three men's blood blended so nicely: sweet, just like human blood was, and just a little sour. The difference in ages was probably factored to this nice mixture, as she had noticed that the blood of humans had sweeter taste when younger and gradually got sourer with age, usually after middle age. She opened her eyes once her tongue completely left the blade.

"Oh how I missed that." She thought aloud before she let out a sigh… it was actually closer to a moan.

She looked at the knife again, its blade now sporting a clean, straight line in the middle while the sides still had blood. She turned the blade on the other side… Still so much blood… She wanted even more now…

Free of her inhibition this time around, Julia touched the blade with her lips, and without any hesitation, gorged herself on the blood, guzzling and slurping, till she polished the blade. Once finished, she licked the last traces of blood from her lips, slowly, to take one last joy before forcing herself to return to the reality of her currently messy situation.

She stood up after a while, and took out the cleaning cloth from her satchel to clean her saliva from the knife. Looking at it now, she smiled. Besides everything, she was happy to carry a weapon again. She never felt safe without one on her person.

Julia gaze fell on Stan's corpse _""Another five hours of walking around without anything interesting happening" Gottard said, which might mean that no other patrols come around here during this hour… But I better be cautious… Dan said that the homeless street walk around here and maybe some other guards will stop by the district."_ Thinking about it, she wondered about the ages of the 'street walkers'. Her face contorted. She hoped they were at least somewhat close to thirteen. _"Why am I comparing myself with them now? They do this of their own volition. To survive… I was forced into that… At least mother stopped beating me then, since she couldn't present me all bloodied and…"_ Julia immediately suppressed her unpleasant memories.

She bent down, grabbed Stan's corpse from the upper jaw and dragged it towards the burned down house which collapsed wall she unwisely choose as a cover before…

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Together in school - part 1**

 **|- Julia -|**

* * *

It was Julia's tenth winter in the Amell Mountains. The seat of the School of the Raven, also known as The Castle inside the Mountain, was probably the oldest fortress that housed mutants to date, as well as the castle that perhaps has changed the most hands over the centuries. Build by the combined efforts of dwarves and gnomes shortly after their peace treaty, seized first by elves and then by humans, and finally have become the seat of the School of the Raven after the mages that used the castle as their laboratory make 'Something' that ate every single one of them. And according to Master Joseph that 'Something' died of a stomach ache. She giggled imagining how it possibly went about.

"What's so funny?" Celina asked Julia, giggling as well, though hers was a little less subtle.

"It's nothing special. I just remembered something funny."

Celina bend forward, her bed made a noise at the sudden change of weight distribution, "Really? Can you tell me?" She said enthusiastically with those doe-like honey-colored eyes of hers. She was doing it on purpose. Every time she wanted something from Julia, she gave her the exact same look, though she was doing it even more each time they saw each other. Julia started to think that she was just doing it because she likes to hear her signature _"I can't say no to you"_ sigh.

"Well, alright." Julia sighed "You know how mages used this castle for conducting their experiments, attempting to create new kinds of creatures by cross-breeding various post-conjunction monsters? Well, Master Joseph told me yesterday -" –– "Stop! Stop! Stop! I've heard enough…" Celina quickly covered Julia's mouth with both her hands before continuing "… I don't want to hear about teeth-filled jawed monstrosities devouring a gang of young Adepts one by one, with the funny one dying first! I don't want to hear about some proper-speaking golem that goes insane, grabs his master by the neck, starts eating him toes to brains, in grisly detail, and then sing about it! And I definitely. But definitely! Don't want to hear about some nymphomaniac sorceress that was raped by a walking mass of tentacles!" Celina was yelling loudly. Thankfully, despite being late in the night, they were the only ones currently inhabiting the Amell Fortress, besides Master of the Trials Joseph, Alchemy Instructor Elwira and Sword Instructor Marian. 'High' Enchantress Maleila was the only one of the School's teaching body that was absent. And with their quarters' located three floors above them, it was unlikely that they'll hear anything.

"Why not?" Angelika's voice caught both the Witches' attention, they both turn to the left almost at the same time. Angelica was laying down on three beds she put together side by side, using her arms to support her head. "I absolutely loved the last one." She said and started rolling around in a playful, rather provocative way, smiling all the while. She stopped with her body facing up, her head hanging upside down at the edge of the bed, giving them a really good view of her barely covered breasts. The way her soft, silk lingerie arranged itself during her 'rolling' completely exposed her right nipple. _"Sheesh, is she never cold?"_ Julia wondered, though chances were that she simply enjoy showing off her body. Julia always felt jealous, being the most flat-chested of the conspiracy, and Angelika's rare assets only serve to remind her that.

"How could we eeeever forget?" Celina grimaced as she spoke "Your 'love' was leaking all over the floor that night." She said and slapped her hands on her cross-sitting legs.

Julia fell back on her bed, her head landed on her pillow. She put both hands behind her head, closed her eyes and chuckled, sure that her sisters will start argue about something trivial… Again.

And they did.

Julia never understood why they had such hard time getting along, but then again maybe this was their way of showing their affection. Considering how they started, at least she and Violeta didn't need to restrain them anymore in fear that they might kill each other. These days they were content with verbal attacks and 'relatively' safe (and comical) physical bouts, instead of biting, clawing and punching.

While Julia didn't dislike Angelika the way Celina did, she couldn't deny that her sister's shameless lustful display that night was a bit much to shallow herself. She first heard the story about the 'violating tentacle monster' from Enchantress Maleila thirteen winters before, and she actually expected it to be about a zeugl or a kelpie, but instead it was about one of her colleagues trying to find a way to enlarge men's penises. The premise may have sounded ridiculous, but Julia still founded it scary nonetheless. The atmosphere that night was good: very late, rain, lightning bolts, she, Celina and Angelika were awake and alone in the dorm – It was perfect! Julia loved scary stories, and she found particularly chilling the Enchantress's description of her colleague's experiments, as she kept the surviving notes after the Witcher she hired to kill the monstrosity was done with it. They may have been all criminals but that didn't make their fates any less horrifying. According to the Enchantress, they have all been castrated first and then attempts to regenerate their manhoods through magical or alchemical means were performed, the subjects were often screaming during the 'treatment' and their regenerated penises resulted in various deformities ranging from being fused with their legs to being living entities resembling snakes, and other similar grotesque mutations. The monster was effectively created by combining the subjects' skin that the sorceress flayed as part of a side project along with their preserved manhoods. Julia guessed that some forbidden ritual must have also been used to animate the 'fleshy mass of phallus ending tentacles'.

Celina found the story revolting and ridiculously over the top, but not exactly scary. Witches don't get easily scared. And perhaps Julia wouldn't found the story scary either, if Enchantress Maleila didn't speak about it as casually as if speaking about the weather – which was really bad that night indeed. Angelika on the other hand, focused more on the violation of the sorceress, asking for more details… With the majority of her sexual encounters being forced and most of the time quite unpleasant, Julia wasn't properly equipped to satisfy her sister's twisted fantasies, nor was she eager to do so. _She just couldn't find the rape of a woman arousing in any way…_ Angelika did though, adding her own personal touch to the 'scene', reciting it with more embellishment. Adding excruciating details in such a way that make it sound that the sorceress actually enjoyed being raped by the monster, all the while pleasuring herself in front of her and Celina as her descriptions progressively got more explicit and perverted…

"How can you be all calm and relaxed with them yelling is beyond me." Julia heard Violeta's voice.

She opened her eyes to see that her sister was standing beside her bed carrying two earthen mugs in each hand.

"Care to teach me how to 'not give a fuck about anything ever'. Useful skill to have on the Path." Violeta said in a tone that made easy for Julia to just picture the half-smile under her hood. She knew her very well… Lyria felt like a lifetime ago. Julia wished she could just forget it entirely, and her sister made that difficult at times… She didn't need to inform Julia that her mother was still alive… Julia knew she didn't do it on purpouse. Violeta loved her mother and missed her dearly, probably assumed that Julia missed her own too, at least a little. It was a nice gesture, even if she was wrong.

Julia rose from her laid down position and sat cross-legged "Unfortunately, that's not a skill I can teach Violeta." She said facing her sister, completely ignoring the commotion Celina and Angelika were making.

"Too bad, I'll just die for the ability to feel nothing." Violeta said in a monotone. Julia hoped she meant it as a bad joke… Which was unlikely.

Violeta sighed "Hold these for a moment Julia." She said and gave the earthen mugs to Julia, the pleasant aroma of the hot, honey-spiced vodka drifting. Julia's eyes followed her sister as she walked towards Celina and Angelika. They were 'fighting'. And by fighting meaning: Both lying down on the three side to side beds with the latter on top, restraining the former, and the former struggling hard to escape. Knowing Angelika she probably got inspired while working in a brothel (hopefully), judging by the way she pinned poor Celina down.


	7. Night walk - Chasing shadows

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 7: Night walk - part 3: Chasing shadows**

* * *

 _"Almost four in the morning… more or less… I think?"_ Uncertain about the hour, Julia's left a small sigh as she was heading towards mayor Henryk's house.

Positioning the guards' corpses took more time than she expected, though that might as well have been her own fault. It was unlikely that someone would be able to connect the murder of the three guards to her, but Julia took her time to make the crime scene seemed as convincingly a fight between them as possible nonetheless:

She put down Stan's trousers and hid his body inside the burned down house, right behind a collapsed wall with his boot visible enough to anyone that will come closer to check, his kettle hat not far away. She moved Bertram's corpse close by the outside wall where she first killed him and stuck Gottard's sword in its head, diagonally from the right side and upwards, deep enough to completely cover the stab wound, and positioned his body, legs, arms, head and kettle hat in such a way that seemed that he was killed in this way right there. She left Gottard's corpse for last, the only thing she needed to do with it was turn it around and loosen his belt a bit. She needed to do more things with its belongings before positioning them as well, so while she didn't move the corpse from where it was laid, she took more time with this because she needed to focus more on the details: Use its sword to half-decapitate Bertram's corpse, deprive it of its strap to give the impression that he never carried a knife to begin with, and use Gottard's knife as a substitute to cover for the obvious knife killings, since she kept Bertram's for herself. To bloody the knife enough, she stabbed Stan's face four more times. He didn't carry a knife, and she remembered that other guards didn't carry either, so it must be convincing enough. Julia even checked the knives to make sure they didn't have any 'personalized touches' in them, and fortunately for her they haven't. Julia hoped the context she was aiming for was enough to at least rule her out as a suspect. Though tempted, she didn't even take their purses.

 _"I should buy a miniature hourglass when the market's open."_ She thought as she took the last step to the other side of the Eerie River.

. * . * . * .

"Conrad, say something damn it, I am falling asleep here." A guard said with a loud yawn. It wasn't Dan or Iwan's voice.

"That's your fault. You shouldn't drunk off your arse four days straight." Another guard spoke. Julia didn't recognize his voice either. Dan and Iwan's watch was obviously over.

Julia let a few minutes pass. Unlike Dan and Iwan, the new guards weren't as chatty during their duty hour. The only thing Julia heard while waiting was the occasional yawn, most likely coming from the first guard she heard.

After leaving a few more minutes to pass, she came to the realization that she won't hear anything interesting by eavesdropping this time around, and decided to reveal herself to the guards.

She softly stepped out from behind the wall to the left of the mayor's house. While the shadows still cover her, the light provided by the torches resting on both the sides of the door made the guards visible to her: The one to the left, the taller one, was armed with a halberd, which served him more as a pillar to balance himself with, than a weapon. He seemed sluggish and sleepy. She guessed that he was probably the first one she heard. The one to the right was armed with a crossbow, and hanged a knight's short sword on his belt, the like of which is easy to draw compared to the swords the rest of the guards curried. Unlike his fellow guard, he seemed somber, and vigilant, judging by his position and the firm manner in which he was holding his crossbow.

Julia took two steps forward "Good morning."

"Fucking hell!" The guard to the left of the door exclaimed in a panic and stumbled back, dropping his halberd.

"Who's there? Show yourself." The guard to the right said in a firm tone as he moved quickly and took position by the left guard's side, crossbow at the ready.

Taking three more steps, Julia completely stepped into the torchlight with her arms half-raised.

"What the hell…" The second guard said with slightly wider eyes and lowered his weapon "Do you know what time it is woman?" He continued with his serious expression softening somewhat.

 _"Good question."_ Julia choose to externalize her thought "Actually, no. Could you tell me?" She asked calmly… She wondered suddenly if she should have go with a more 'ditzy' tone of voice while asking.

"It's the hour that women and children stay inside for their own safety, so I advise you…" The guard stopped talking abruptly and started measuring Julia with his eyes "Who in Melitele's teats are you? State your business!" The guard commanded, his face as hard as before, and raised his crossbow once again, aiming at Julia's direction.

Her eyes immediately focused on the crossbow, her arms still half-raised, and ready to catch the bolt should things come to worst. She hoped it won't come to that. She didn't need another incident now.

The second guard slapped the crossbow down suddenly.

Julia's was amazed that Conrad didn't accidentally pull the trigger.

"Get that stick out of your arse Conrad, you don't serve in the Temerian army anymore." The guard said in such a tone that suggested that he had said this quite a few times before.

Conrad's answer came in the form of a frown.

"Enjoy Weeping Willow much?" The other guard asked with a needless gesture -as if showing off the scenery to her-. Without even retrieving his halberd from the ground, he took a few steps towards Julia.

Julia lowered her hands as the guard came close enough to obstruct Conrad's aim "Not as much as I hoped. But I try my best." Her answer was given with a smile but in a tired tone, especially towards the end of her sentence.

"You got the Ugly Duckling's fanciest room at normal price. You've no idea how lucky you are compared to…" The guard stopped speaking suddenly, smiling, he started measuring Julia with his eyes himself… Leering may have been a more appropriate word.

"Have we met?" Julia asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, and folded her arms. She didn't recognize his face or his voice, but he probably was one of the guards that were with Bolo at the Ugly Duckling.

"Mmm… You are way better than I remember actually…" The guard completely ignored her question and came even closer.

Feeling her personal space invaded as the guard was standing mere inches in front of her, Julia instinctively took a small step back. "I'm… guessing that you were at the Ugly Duckling yesterday night." She managed to say in a neutral tone.

The guard nodded and took a step forward, clearly not dissuaded. "I reeeally liked how you 'worked that knife' back then." His smile widen as he bluntly put his hand in Julia's behind, groping her backside.

More out of instinct than outright disgust, Julia moved her hand, attempting to forcefully remove the guard's hand… She put her hand on top of the guard's instead. She gave the guard a smile, and made him stroke her, gently, upwards till he reached her waist.

Her smile turned more playful. She abruptly put her left hand on the guard's crotch.

The guard gasped, eyes wide, Julia brought her face closer to his "Want me to work your knife?" She said in a more flirtatious tone. Probably taken aback by her attitude, the guard didn't noticed that she took the knife from his shoulder strap with her right hand, till Julia raised her hand to actually show it to him, holding it upside down with her thumb and index finger. The guard's eyes went wider, his mouth slightly agape. "What the - When did you -" Julia stretched her arm and 'dropped' the knife to the ground. "Just so you know… I only work with, one, knife at a time." She said emphatically, pointing at Conrad with her eyes.

"Damn, woman…" The guard left a nervous laugh before continuing "…You're thirsty."

Julia couldn't suppress a giggle "You have no idea how much." She didn't even need to pretend. It was genuine. She was thirsty. But not for anything the guard had in mind.

"Abelard, what the fuck are you doing there?!" Conrad barked from behind them.

The guard turned his head to look at Conrad, slightly bemused "I'm… Inspecting! Yes, I'm inspecting this woman for any deadly… uhm… implement -tations." Julia took the opportunity to roll her eyes since the guard wasn't looking at her, if only for a moment. She couldn't help it. The one thing she was curtain about was that after she leave Weeping Willow the word 'inspection' would never hold the same meaning for her again.

She stretched both her arms, putting them behind the guard's neck, drawing his attention, and locked her hands together. "I don't like having an audience… Care to join me somewhere… a little more… private?" Her voice soft and growing more sensual each time she paused "Just around the corner is fine… I love it under the veil of darkness."

The guard turned again at his fellow "Conrad, could you… e- explain if anyone comes, I need more time to -" –– "To plough, yes, yes, just don't give me that 'inspection' bullshit Abelard, I could fucking hear you from here!" Conrad interrupted Abelard, speaking very fast, his voice a combination of annoyance and disgust "That slattern couldn't have made it more obvious. Don't be surprised if you don't have your purse after!" He continued, a condescending touch was added in his voice this time and turned his face away from them.

"Shut up Conrad, she ain't -" –– "That's okay…" Julia interrupted, putting her left hand on the guard's chin "He is not completely wrong…" She continued, turning his head towards her, forcing him to look at her "I do want something in return." She finished with a small smile.

The guard paused. "Of course…" his expression almost turned into a frown "I should have known." He added, sounding beaten.

"Sorry. Nothing's free, handsome." Julia smiled as she uttered her last word to suppress a small laugh and shrugged her shoulders. Abelard wasn't particularly handsome, but not ugly either: middle-aged, cleaned-shaved and rather plain-looking. Not that it would have made a difference. As a rule, she never lay with guardsmen… Well, almost never.

"So how much for -" Julia shut the guard up with a deep kiss… Apart from the somewhat unpleasant breath of the guard, Julia could also experience the vile taste of Viziman Champion. She hated that beer more than any other alcoholic beverage in existence! "Damn you, superhuman senses!" Julia curse internally…

But she had endured way worse than that.

"It's not money I want. Not from you at least. You don't owe me a thing" Julia started playing with an unruly lock of scarlet hair that fell on the right side of her face "…But. I would be very grateful if you could point me to the one that does."

The guard gave Julia a questioning look. "Who you talk about?" He asked after a while.

"A black-haired guard with a mustache, around fifty, missing his left eye. Iwan he introduced himself as. I was supposed to find him here."

"The sly fuck." The guard laughed "Can't say that I blame him." He added, sounding quite happy.

Julia stopped playing with her hair "Mhm?" She gave the guard a questioning look herself, still keeping her scarlet lock wrapped around her index finger.

"Yeah, I know who he is." Abelard said, amused.

"I would like to know where he is…" Julia unwrap her finger, letting the lock fall in front of her eye "But…"

"…Later." With that last word, Julia grabbed the guard from the collar of his gambeson and dragged him behind the house.

. * . * . * .

 _"I really hope this wild goose chase is fucking worth it!"_ Julia thought as she was walking through the back alleys. She was both angry and frustrated with her current situation.

Abelard inform her that Iwan had double duty tonight and that his next shift was at the southern entrance -the very same one which she first came from into this annoying town- till nine in the morning. _"I guess I should consider myself fortunate about this turn of events. The target is available, and in a convenient location… And I managed to learn what I wanted from the guard without opening my legs for him. At least!"_ Julia bitterly thought back at the 'exchange'. The Axii Sign may have saved her the misfortune of having to take the guard inside her in that dark corner… but she still used her hands… and mouth to pleasure him. Fortunately men can still maintain an erection under the Sign's influence, and Abelard took more time than she expected to ejaculate…

She started wondering if she is being needlessly paranoid…

Killing those guards back at the nonhuman district because they would have found her did felt a bit extreme now that she was thinking back at it. It would raise questions at the very least. _"Should I just forget about acting on it,"_ She thought _"and simply let Dan try his luck in taking me by force? Alone!"_ It was more amusing now that she thought about it. He won't be the first to die in an attempt. It would be self-defense, but she couldn't really rely on the justice of the mage hunters since most their lot are sadists eager to indulge themselves in their pyrophilic fetishes, as Julia learned back in Novigrad. Adding the mage hunters boredom to the equation they may just find her a tempting target to break it, even if they didn't have anything solid to connect her to tonight's murder. Mayor Henryk may vouch for her, but judging by her meeting with the man, his influence seemed rather limited.

In the end, if this tiresome chase did lead her nowhere and she had to simply wait and see what transpires, the important questions were _"When?"_ and _"Where?"_. In any case, she would at least have a knife with her.

Julia was only paces away from the southern entrance. She could see the small fortified station.

"So where have you been all this time?" A man's voice was heard.

"In the forest, you fuckhead!" An angry female voice was heard this time. It sounded familiar.

"With the monster prowling about? And you return from here instead of the west gate?" The male voice from before asked "Yeah, that's rich. And what you were doing there?"

"Ploughing yer lille brother, mayhaps?" A different man's voice was heard.

With soft, silent steps, Julia approached the station.

"W-What? How are you -" –– "Keep it in the family?" The first man interrupted with a laugh. The second voice laughed as well, even more loudly.

Julia managed to reach the station without making any noise, and leaned on its stone wall. She started slowly cycling it from the left side.

"Fuck you, both!" The female voice was heard after a while. Despite the clear anger, there was also something else in it… Was it frustration or sadness?

Julia heard movements. "Where you think you're going?" The first man asked, sounding quite displeased.

"Home."

"Ye ain't goin nowhere till you ell the truth." The second man 'said', his voice threatening.

Julia finally reached the front of the station, keeping herself close to the wall, hidden, the shadows helped as well. She turned to see that the familiar female voice belonged to none other than the angry young woman working at the Travelling Pipers that she met yesterday afternoon. Julia didn't know who the two other guards were. She cursed heavily at her own bad luck, internally.

"I was hunting." The young woman took the two dead rabbits that she had strapped in the back of her belt, and showed them to the guards. "Happy now?"

"Riiiiiight" The first guard mocked her "So the beast spared you, but not your siblings?" He continued, amused.

"Yes. Its picky like that you see. Want to go to the forest and see if it'll eat you, Redanian?" The young woman retorted, with a _really_ smug smile.

Julia may not have liked the young woman's attitude back at the tavern, but she was worried that the guards may like it even less. And this place was _just_ too quiet. Julia didn't remember seeing patrols when she first came to Weeping Willow from the south entrance till she reached the Ugly Duckling, or, to be more precise, the only patrol she saw that night was at the inn, getting themselves drunk.

"You think you're. So. Smart. Don't you little hussy?" The first guard let out a small laugh as he spoke, but his eyes were focused on the knife hanged in the young woman's belt.

"Well at least I know how to read, unlike you. Have a bad morning." The young woman said hastily, moving to leave.

The first guard moved in front of her.

"What now? Fuck off!"

"You know something, Rena…" The first guard started, his tone wasn't friendly "I never really liked your behavior." He moved closer.

Not budging from her position, the young woman quickly grabbed the handle of her hunting knife, the blade almost draw out of the scabbard "Never liked you, either. Now fuck off!" Her eyes didn't saw any fear but her hand was shaking.

The first guard took a quick step back, raising his hands. "Wow, wow, calm down now lassy. We didn't mean anything by it. Right, Bernard?" He turned to his fellow. Despite his words, he didn't exactly sound worried.

"Aye, aye, wes only jesting." The second guard 'said' also with raised hands, though he made some funny gestures with them.

"Then, move!" The young woman turned to the first guard.

The guard moved back a few more steps "Of course, Milady." He bowed slightly, right hand extended with palm open -as if presenting the way to her-, left hand in the back reaching to the right side, close to his belt. The position reminded Julia of the way the guardsmen of imperial households tended to welcome important guests, way too formal, almost pointlessly so, though the way the guard assumed the position was lacking fluidity, grace… _"Who am I kidding. The entire posture is wrong. If you are going to… Huh?"_ With her eyes still focused on the first guard, Julia saw his left hand reaching for the small leather pouch that was strapped in the back of his belt. His hand was clenched into a fist when exited. He must have picked something from it, but Julia couldn't see what.

Rena didn't appear to have noticed, though his left hand was difficult to see from where she was standing. His clumsy attempt at etiquette was actually making it more difficult. She scoff at the guard and resumed walking, her hand still on the knife.

The guard quickly straightened himself once Rena came close enough, and, with surprising speed and accuracy flung the 'something' he took from the pouch at her using his thumb and index fingers to propel it, hitting her straight in the right side of the forehead. Before the young woman even had time to come to her senses, the first guard grabbed both her arms firmly, preventing her from drawing her knife, the second guard, just as fast moved behind her to assist his fellow, restraining and fondling Rena at the same time. The young woman tried to scream but the second guard smothered her mouth with his left hand before any sound came out. She was thrashing around violently trying to set herself free. But it was in vain, the guards were both taller, and their grip on her was strong.

After throwing her knife to the ground and depriving her of her bow and quiver of arrows, the guards took her inside the post.

From the way the two guards moved (almost in quick succession), Julia was certain that they must have done this before.

 _"I can't let that human die. I still need her for the contract."_ Julia started slowly moving towards the station's entrance, back still etched to the wall. She bent down to avoid the post's window.

She heard a shriek, most likely Rena's. "Bitch bit me!" That second guard groaned.

"Good girls don't bite…" The first guard said. Julia heard a sound. She recognized it. The guards had punched the young woman. "…They shallow." The guard completed his sentence.

Julia reached the edge of the door. By the position of the shadows and the intensity of the light, Julia concluded that a candle was located on the right side.

The young woman was still struggling to break free. _"She has way more nerve than I ever had in her age._ " Julia thought _"Admirable. But ultimately pointless."_

She heard a blade being drawn. Rena stopped thrashing around.

"Listen, and listen well now, Rena." The first guard spoke, his voice was different than before… low and sinister. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Bernard and I have absolutely no problem with sandwich-fuck your corpse, all men in this town with cocks that work still and proper dreams of fucking you, and your sweet sister."

"You still ll be nice and warm for longs after shanking ya." The second guard interjected.

"Everyone was aware that big brother Jakob was fucking big sister Mirella. It wouldn't be hard for them to believe that he was also fucking you on the side as well, and that you loved him sooooo damn much that you couldn't live without him that you decided to follow him in hell." The guard spoke in an over-the-top dramatic way – as if presenting a play on a theater. "Life is so boring here that people would believe anything to make it more interesting. We only need to slip a few words among our peers or to the random fishwife we pass through, and rumors will spread like wildfire. And your carcass will be on the other side of the Eerie River by then."

There was a pause for a moment. "That's the hard way. The easy way is to let us have our fun, without you making it difficult, and we can all carry on with our lives after. Nice and easy." The first guard said in a lower voice. "And don't you bother to speak to anyone about this." He continued, his tone malicious "None will believe you…" he let out a laugh before continuing "…who am I kidding, nobody will fucking care, you're hardly the first one we take here. Czcibor and Henryk. They never cared about anything happening here. But more importantly, don't you care what will happen to your sweet sister?" He paused again. "Some of my friends really, really like your sister. Just soooo delicate… soooo quiet… Her cherry just begs to be popped."

"She a virgin?!" The second guard got really excited.

"So Rena? What'll it be: We kill you, fuck your corpse a few times, and throw it in the River? Or. We fuck you right now, all of us go home after and forget about tonight?"

Julia drew the looted knife from the dimeritium dagger's scabbard which she used to store it, bringing it, almost ceremonially, close to her chest.

Silence fell for a moment.

"A-All right…" The young woman's voice was heard, uncharacteristically low, and submissive.

The first guard laughed sharply "Now that's more like it!"

"J-Just Just d-don't hurt my sister… I-I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt her." The young woman's voice was trembling. Julia couldn't see her face but she knew she was sobbing.

"You have my word, my little wildflower." The first guard said in a fake friendly tone "But if it comes to my attention that you whistle anything even remotely to someone…" He returned to his previous low, sinister tone "Me and Bernard will take some of our friends and come pay your house a visit. And we will find some _really_ 'profane' things in your house. 'Profane' enough to start a nice pyre in fact… But not before we force your daddy and your little brother to look as we take turns at you and your sister… Understood?" The guard's last word came out as softly as a tender lover's wisper, but it wasn't. It was more of a mockery of what it was supposed to be.

Another pause. Julia hoped that the guard had finished talking.

Julia heard sniffling after a brief silence. She so hated that sound.

"You know, you're _so_ much prettier when you cry." The first guard said. Julia could just picture the creepy smile on his face by the way he delivered his words.

"And we e'll make ya cry more." Those words were the last…

The next sounds Julia heard were the ones she recognized all too well…

She strapped the looted knife in her belt, giving herself quick and easy access to it should the need arise. Leaning on the wall with crossed arms, she turned to look up to the sky as she waited.

There were clouds in the sky… She hated clouds.

Her eyes narrowed, her teeth clenching.

 _"I am done playing hero!"_

 _"I am done helping humans for nothing and not hearing a simple "Thank you!""_

 _"I am done saving cowardly, weak bitches and get blamed for my efforts - I am done getting gang-raped in their places!"_

 _"…"_

 _"…I am done!_ _… I am done!_ _… I am done!"_

 _"…"_

 _"I am done being the 'good' Witch._ _"_

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story:** **Training - part 1**

* * *

"Quick cuts: One, two, three. Come on Princess, let's test your speed!" Marian ordered Julia _"Julia? Of all the names the scarlet-haired whelp could have chosen, she chose to name herself after the first one she actually learned how to write?! Seriously, since mommy dearest didn't even bother to name you, might as well name yourself after someone more memorable, you stupid little cunt!"_

From the right. Dodged. _"She is slow."_

From the left. Dodged. _"Barely faster."_

The third one was actually aiming for the head. Dodged to the right. The momentum of the intended strike made the Princess lose her balance and, almost, fell. Marian made sure to make the 'almost', a certainty, with a swift kick to the buttocks. The Princess tripped, falling flat on her face. _"That was such a good kick"_ Marian thought, not suppressing her laughter as the tall weakling fell to the ground and tasted the dirt, nor did the other Ravens that were witnessing the scene… except, of course for the rest of the Conspiracy of Failure. Their looks varied from disappointment, to embarrassment, to sadness.

"Sister, are you okay?!" Violeta cried and immediately run to Julia's side, abandoning her training with Faye.

Marian couldn't resist with such a good set-up "Sister, are you okay? Did you break a nail while falling? Did dirt tasted badly in your mouth? Did The Sword Instructor's boot got sooo deep in your asshole that you think you won't ever shit comfortably ever again. Are you Dying?! Oh no dear sister, oh no don't leave me alone in this cold, cruel world! I don't ever think I can -" –– "That's enough Marian!" Joseph's barking interrupted Marian's fun.

She dropped her training sword and, with a pirouette, turned to face Joseph with the fakest, smuggest, shit-eating grin her face could form "Master Joseph." She said and 'curtsy', with movements and gestures that would only made sense if she actually wore a dress instead of pants, her tone of voice ridiculously high-pitched. She knew very well how much Joseph hated those antics. And she was more than happy to make the sorcerer's everyday life as unpleasant as possible whenever she had misfortune to see his face again "What honor it is to have you around! You actually get out of your laboratory to get some sun? Good on you!" She put her hands on her waist and quickly nodded smuggly and pretentiously "But it is too late I am afraid." She changed her tone to a fake sadder one "That deathly pale of yours. Ain't going anywhere anymore. You should have come out a century or so ago." She exaggerated. Joseph was still looking quite good for his age, in fact. As good as an almost three-hundred-years-old sorcerer can be, of course… Joseph was preaty much unimpressed, regarding her with the same expression he always had when they end up facing one another (even privately) – as if criticising her every move, her every word… her appearance, her age, her thoughts… Her Everything!

"Should I remind you to take special care of Project Eternalize for its potential is still -" –– "Yes, yes, I know, don't you worry." Marian straightens her posture and turned to the 'sisters'. The Maiden was actually using her shoulder to help the Princess balance herself. It was unnecessary. The Princess was okay. Her nose didn't even break from the fall. "I'll be careful not to accidentally break your little pet-project's hymen while we train. The Trial of Deflowering is all yours to perform on the novices after all." Marian said cheerily. The Princess and the Maiden look at the Sword Instructor at the same time, both their eyes wide, the Princess's especially, she looked hilariously scared and shocked, her contorted face even revealed some teeth and her eyes were starting to get misty. Marian so loved those two losers. They were just so easy to mess with.

Marian turned to Joseph. "Oh wait… I'm so sorry Master." She said feigning absent-mindedness "I heard from a little birdie that she has already been deflowered. You know how it is with Lyrians. Whores, the lot of them. Too bad we didn't take her when she was crawling her way out from her dear, sweet mama's hairy cunt, then you may had actu-" –– "Shut up!" The voice that interrupted her belonged to the Maiden. Marian turned towards the 'sisters' again.

The Princess's was back on her feet. The look on her face was dark, darker than usual, as if ready to start crying any moment now, her 'knight', who was almost a straight head shorter than her, by her side, angrily looking at The Sword Instructor. Marian chuckled. The whole picture was ridiculous and the fact that these two considered and treated each other as sisters was even more chuckle-worthy. They looked absolutely nothing alike: The Princess is almost six feet tall, flat-chested (even for a Witch) with straight blood-red hair, pale skin and light blue eyes. Not many would catch on that, but her soft features and slightly larger eyes betray an elven heritage. Marian could tell from details, being a quarter-elf herself. The Maiden is five feet and four inches tall, dark-skinned with dense black hair, dark eyes… And the most well developed breasts in her entire conspiracy! Marian was actually surprised that she survived the Trial of the Grasses. She was both shorter and bustier than the average Witch, meaning that she consumed less than the conventional amount of Grasses given to them during the Choice. She always guessed that 'Violeta' was just her nickname, and that her actual name was probably unpronounceable. She was neither Zerrikanian nor Ofiery, her features were rather unique, but she definitely was hailing from a land with a very warm climate.

"I suggest you do your duty Sword Instructor, and actually teach her instead of taking your frustrations on her." Joseph said from behind her.

She turned to face him. After making sure that nobody was looking, Marian took that opportunity to say "Fuck. You. Master." Her lips formed the words without any sound.

Joseph gave her his usual 'Seriously now?' face. The semi-smile on the left side of his mouth was always so full of what Marian could only describe as 'quiet contempt'. She hated it.

"Princess!" Marian barked, and turned her head. "Again!"

"…Alright." The Princess said with her head lowered, her voice pathetically low.

"Can't fucking hear you! Did the dirt you ate stick to your neck?"

Julia didn't answer.

The Sword Instructor walked towards her, collecting the training swords from the ground as she did. Stopping in front of the 'sisters', she turned the right sword to the side and pinned it under her arm "Again." She repeated to the scarlet-haired novice, pointing to the sword with her eyes for her to take.

"Come on Julia you can do it." The dark-skinned novice smiled to her 'sister', she raised her arm, and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Julia you can do it." Marian repeated Violeta's 'encouraging' words in a mocking, sing-song voice.

The Maiden started glaring at the Sword Instructor.

Marian turned her eyes at her and smiled. A monumentally ugly smile.

The Princess took the sword from Marian's hand after a while… And dropped it.

"…I'm sorry."

The Sword Instructor kicked her in the stomach.

The Princess stumbled back but managed to stay on her feet, clutching her belly. The Maiden's eyes went wide.

"Go train with Faye, Maiden. Now!" The Sword Instructor said angrily.

The Maiden comply after a short while but not before giving a final hostile look.

"Grab the sword, and hold it firmly!" She commanded with anger still in her voice.

The Princess took her sword from the ground. "I'm sorry."

The Sword Instructor slapped her, really hard.

The Princess actually fell to the ground on her bottom and very quickly moved back away in a manner that reminded Marian of an injured animal, looking at her with teary wide eyes and clenched teeth, her face portraying fear and panic.

Unsettled by that reaction, Marian found herself staring at her with eyes wide as well…

She threw her sword away and walked towards her.

She offered her right hand at her.

Julia was staring at the offered hand.

Only twenty minutes had past, but for Marian it seemed like hours, before Julia started reaching for her hand, slowly, shaking, before finally grabbing it.

Marian raised her back on her feet.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." In just a moment's notice while still holding the novice's hand, Marian, with movement so fast it seemed a blur, took out her dagger from behind her belt and repeatedly stabbed her six times in the abdomen.


	8. Clouds - Violation

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 8: Clouds - part 1: Violation**

* * *

 _"Third time's the charm, folk say. But I have made the same mistake again. And over, and over, and over, and over again, suffering the consequences of my own damn stupidity, I'm done! Witches aren't supposed to save people from themselves. May they steal, rape, and murder to their heart's content, till the White Frost comes and covers this world in its beautiful yellow flakes."_ Julia couldn't help but smile at her own bitter thoughts as she was leaning on the fort's stone wall, her head facing the night-sky. _"Hope I live long enough to see it. I would have returned to the Amell Mountains just so that I can enjoy that lovely picture in all its glory, looking at the landscape from the upper cliffs. I always loved the view from up there."_ The wind was howling, and the atmosphere grew heavier still as thick clouds were gathering in the sky. She so hated the clouds during nighttime. The way they obscured the moon and stars was to her a cruel metaphor for what she always try so hard to keep locked in some forgotten corner of her mind least she snapped and have a repetition of what happened in the Sanitarium back in Cintra.

The guards were forcefully stripping the young woman, tearing off her clothes judging by the sounds.

"Fuck! Such a nice pair of tits shouldn't be kept covered." The first guard said "I think hers are actually better than her sister's. Don't you think so too, Bernard?" He asked his friend cheerfully.

"Tis a sin to hid de gods' gifs like dat." The second guard giggled "But don ya orry lassy, cause tonait, ya goin to propelly ap-ap-apriciate ya blessings." He continued in, what Julia supposed it was, a mock-spiritual way kind of speaking (she couldn't exactly be sure), sounding like what he would do to her will be good in the long run, or something else like that. Because of the way he was 'talking', this only managed to make him sound even more of an idiot, and more disgusting.

Some unpleasantly rough sounds were heard. Due to the quiet and her superior senses Julia could hear them, even if they weren't speaking very loudly, and draw a perfectly clear picture of what was currently happening inside the small fort, approximately thirteen paces behind her judging by its size and how audible the sounds coming from within were.

"Get down…" The first guard was heard after a short while "to your damn… knees." The guard continued, speaking with some difficulty. Julia realized then that Rena started fighting them off again. While she thought it unlikely that the young woman will try something stupid that might cost her her life now, Julia drew the looted knife again, just in case.

"I said I will! Stop it! You're hurtin-" The young woman's railings were interrupted abruptly by an audible smacking sound, soon followed by another, harder one. She started whimpering.

"You dumb cunt!" The first guard spat. "Here, tie her arms with it Bernard." He continued. While the noises that came up after managed to make Julia feel a little tense, she was satisfied to recognize the ones that were heard alongside them: those of metal loudly hitting the floor. Meaning at least one of the guards was removing his armor. That was good. It would make him an easier target.

"We had a deal you stupid little whore." The first guard said, angry and frustrated "We fuck you." He changed suddenly to the same low, sinister tone as before. "Without you. Making it. Difficult. Don't you remember? Meaning, we do." He paused for a moment and continued with a bit more edge in his voice "Whatever. The Hell. We want. With that nice, young, fuckable body of yours. So you better stop be a pain. Or…"

"No! No! Don't." The sudden panic in the young woman's voice made Julia tenser, she started sweating, and her grip on her knife tighten… She took a deep breath to calm herself, inhaling from the nose and exhaling from the mouth, quietly. _"Even if that dumb bitch doesn't survive her ordeal, there are other ways to obtain the information I need regarding the monster's recent victims."_ Julia reminded herself _"Her little brother seemed much more inclined to talk, and he might have just done it if it wasn't for her twin… All I need to do is find him alone."_

"Don't you dare bite, or I'll slit that shapely neck." The first guard said. Julia decided to dub him The Creep.

"I w-won't." Rena's voice was trembling.

Julia lowered the knife, but decided against sheathing it this time. Even if they had no intention of keeping their promise, she was confident that they won't kill her. Not before they are done violating her first, at least.

"Don't stop now, you can do better, come on use your tongue. I want it to shine." The Creep said. Julia smiled as the satisfying sounds of discarded armor were heard once again after his utterance.

She heard laughter. "Please, w-wait, I -" Rena's pleading cries stopped abruptly, what followed was a short pained groan. The guards must have had penetrated her. Her sobbing became more audible than before. The second guard was moaning in pleasure. "Damn' ya… ya ho… someone plough ya aready?"

"Damn, you're good at it. Jakob had taught you well I see… But you can do even better." Soon after The Creep spoke, Julia could hear the young woman soundly gagging as he was clearly pushing his member into her mouth more forcefully. "Keep at it… Like this! Suck me you stupid whore. Suck me like this!" The Creep was moaning.

 _"I bet their cocks are getting harder at the sound of their own damn voices. I hate talkers!"_ Julia frowned, she hated those that described what they were doing the most. The vulgar ones especially. Because they weren't just acting on their urges. It was their charges' suffering that they truly enjoyed. The humiliation, the helplessness, the tears… _"When was the last time I cried? I don't remember… I miss it… The only human thing I actually miss."_ The rather unexpected feeling of nostalgia made her head feel heavy all of a sudden. She lowered it, and, by pure chance, her eyes detected the instrument of Rena's 'defeat': A metallic ball comparable in size to the rare black pearls found on the isles of Skellige, with miniature 'spikes' that ended on blunt ends.

The gagging sounds grew louder suddenly. "I'm cho -" The young woman's attempted protest was stifled by and replaced by even more intense sounds of gagging, her sobbing also grew louder, way louder, and much more desperate – a sort of muffled wailing. The sounds that followed after it stopped were those of Rena throwing up. Those sounds actually managed to make Julia feel at least a little bit nauseous _"And here I thought consuming Mutagens was the last thing capable of making my stomach turn."_ She thought. Once the young woman was done, she started coughing, coarsely, weeping all the while. The guards were just laughing at her misery.

Another roughing sound accompanied by a yelp soon followed. "Look at the mess you just did. How would you make a good wife like this?" The Creep said in a casual tone "I want you to clean this up."

"W- W… Wh-a-at?" The young woman's voice was low, she was sniffling.

"You heard me." The Creep continued in the same casual tone. "And since we don't have any mops here… You'll just have to improvise."

"Yeach, Leszek, dat's sick!" The second guard actually sounded disgusted.

"So sensitive you are. Go check outside if you're such a pussy, Bernard." The Creep said with a mocking laugh.

Julia immediately brought the knife close to her chest and raised her left hand, ready to hex and then stab the guard, should he pass through the entrance.

"De fuck ya say?!" Bernard got worked up. Rena let out an audible, pained gasp. She tried to say something but it didn't come out, she was choking, a loud smack was heard, followed by a yelp. "Eat't, ya filthy lille ho. Slurp de ole damn floor!" The second guard said, with way more audacity in his voice.

The knife once again found itself below Julia's hip as she lowered her arm.

"Now that's the Bernard I know! Fucking hell, keep her like this, I want to fuck her ass now." The Creep said with a lot of excitement in his voice.

Rena was sobbing "P-…ea dooon, w…u I… w- why?" The young woman spoke with difficulty but her last and only comprehensible word stood out to Julia – a weak, feeble whimper that expressed only fear and despair. Julia's grip on the knife tightened.

"Why?" The Creep started laughing. A really unsettling laugh. "Cause its fucking boring here in this shithole a -" –– "Aye!" Bernard interjected "And because." The Creep continued from where he left "I have really missed teaching vulgar little bitches like you their places." Rena screamed loudly. "Daaaamn… you're really fucking tight!" The Creep moaned. "Your… first time…there… ain't it?" He continued, pausing its time he was thrusting himself inside and out the young woman, all the way from the sounds of it, as it was audible enough for Julia to hear. Rena's cries were increasingly becoming more loud, agonizing and desperate.

Julia's lips contorted, the result was a cruel mockery of a smile, ugly, and full only of the resentment she felt. _"Don't you like it? Eh, you arrogant little bitch? Ain't it just awesome?!"_ She choked out a giggle. _"Well, too bad. Because I like it! I really like it! I love hearing you moan, cry and suffer as they fuck you bloody! For all the 'defenseless maidens' I saved! Every one of those. Pathetic. Weak. Cruel. Cowards!"_ Her thumb was sinking into the blade, bleeding, from the way she was holding it as her grip on the knife tighten, more and more.

"Shut it damn it or I'll shank ya!" Bernard snarled.

Rena's cries were subdued but not silenced.

"Didn't we… tell you… to… clean… the floor. Start."

A few minutes passed with the revolting situation unchanged. "Very well then" The Creep's voice got harsher "Bernard, cut off her left ear" –– "No!" The young woman cried immediately.

"No p-pl-ease I -" She pleaded tearfully "I'll… clean… the floor."

After a while, the guards started laughing, loudly enough that anyone could have heard them from quite a few paces without having superhuman hearing. Not that Julia heard anything or anyone approaching, though that might have been fortunate. A part of her wondered what would have happened if another patrol passed by. Would of have helped the young woman out of her torment or they would of have jumped in on the fun as well.

"Fuck Leszek, dis actually get me nice an 'ard. Eat it ya filthy ho. All'ove it, heh, heh."

"Is she slowing down Bernard, or it is just me?"

"Aye she does. Guess she can't do it proper with no cock up yer arsehole."

"Guess you're right." The Creep laughed, an audible gasp was heard afterwards. "You need another cock up your asshole eh, you stupid little whore?"

There was a pause, sniffling was all that Julia heard during it. "…Y-es." The young woman's voice was barely audible. Julia almost didn't hear her this time.

"What's dat? Can't ear ya."

"Yes." Her voice was weak, barely more audible.

"Yes? Yes, what? Tell us, tell us." The Creep sounded eager.

"Yes… I…" Rena started sniffled more audibly.

"Yes. What? Come on, don't let us wait now."

"No more need to zhy, heh heh. Just ell us what's ya want."

Julia rolled her eyes and grimaced at the guardsmen's' utterly fake friendly demeanor.

"I need… another… cock… up, my asshole." Apart from her sniffling, Rena sounded like she was choking as well.

"Say it again." The Creep demanded harshly only to change to his fake friendly tone later "I want to hear you loud and clear."

Despite her best efforts to suppress her sobbing, the young woman still sounded like she was choking. "…I need another cock up my asshole." She managed to say clear enough.

"Ear dat Leszek?"

"Well if that's what she needs, then I guess we have to give it to her. This thing starts to smell really bad, and needs to be cleaned up."

"Ohhhhhh fuuuck" Bernard groaned. If she could just take it out of context -and risk being discovered- Julia might have laughed at the way it came out.

"Dat's a good arsehole… nice… and tight… Better dan Bammy Naef's grankid." He said. While the young woman had been silent at the forceful penetration this time, she started moaning in pain soon after.

"Okay, you had your fun, time to get to work now."

Some time passed. Julia was still curious about the hour, but the fact that she didn't hear any cockerels yet meant that it was, at least, before five in the morning.

"Good giiiiirl."

"Ya love… stuffing yer arsehole… wid cocks… Ehh, ho?"

"Yes… I love it."

"You depraved little harlot!" The Creep said suddenly in a different, more serious tone. Rena gasped. "Sodomy is unnatural! A sin in the eyes of the gods! You have to be punished accordingly for your blasphemy…" His continuous speaking soon turned into something resembling a religious lecture. He sounded so annoyingly self-righteous and smug that he reminded Julia of that priest her mother 'introduced' her to when she was nine…

It played almost the same way as well, now that she remembered it. The memory was still as bitter and distasteful as ever. _""Sodomy is an abomination in the eyes of the gods." He said, or some other shit like that."_ She frowned and started moving her thumb back and forward, further cutting finger and glove on the looted knife's blade _"Right before he fucked me in the ass! Guess sick minds all think alike."_ She choked out another incoming giggle _"My first experience with anal sex. First times are indeed unforgettable."_ She half-smiled as she brought the knife close to her face, her own blood on its blade. _"The only 'first' of those things that I can look back at fondly, was a kiss as a human girl of seven… to a human boy of eight_ _…_ _How pathetic I am."_ She started licking the blade " _I would gladly forget all the 'first times' of everything else, if I could."_ She may not have liked the taste of her own blood much, but the present situation called for anything even remotely sweet.

"…Bernard it is our duty -what am I saying now- calling to make sure she won't insult the gods any further with her perverse lust." The Creep had finally finished talking.

"Aye!" Bernard couldn't have sounded any smugger as he uttered his single-worded answer, his 'Ayes' were some of the most expressive Julia had heard in a while.

"And how you propose we do that, my true and righteous comrade." The Creep was making a serious effort not to burst out laughing at his very own theatrics.

After supposedly pondering it for a while, Bernard 'spoke' "I know wow, le's plough yer arse both together, den she would sin no more after." He finished with a laugh.

"Bernard, you son-of-a-whore, when you actually want, your brain works wonders." The Creep laughed, quite satisfied.

Rena wasn't making any attempts at feeble resistance anymore: no protest, no pleading, no loud noises or any sudden movements. She only occasionally sniffled.

"Don't you cry now, girl. We all fall prey to sin at some point in our lives" If Julia wasn't present to the whole affair, she would actually have thought that the guard was being sincere speaking with this tone. "Sometimes absolution may seem like a punishment but you have to understand that nothing worthy is ever achieved without pain. Be happy. You made it this far."

Julia made a face and started heaving, as if she was about to puke, all noiselessly. _"I need way more blood to endure that kind of shit! Fresh. Human blood, yes, preferably a -"_ She shook her head reflexively as she pushed her disturbing thought away, and resume licking the blood from the blade.

"Yes, I'm happy" Rena said suddenly, very clearly. Surprised, Julia stopped and turned her head right towards the small fort, her eyes widened. "I was a bad daughter." She sniffled "I want to be absolved. I want you both to fuck me in the ass till my insides bleed. Till I hate it." She paused for a moment before continue, the guards were silent as well "Please punish me. Please fuck me. I deserve it. I want you both to fuck me in the ass like the sick little whore that I am." She didn't sniffle, and she was heard clearly, without any indication that she was choking or crying. But her voice was completely different than before… It was empty… dead.

The guards joked and laughed before gleefully proceed to do as she asked of them.

This time Julia bit her lip. _"I overestimated her. She is just… She is just a girl… Just a girl."_

After licking the last traces of blood from her lips, Julia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _"That girl…"_ She opened them, and change her grip on the knife from forward to reverse _"…had suffered enough."_

Julia started cawing, as loudly as she could.

"Wha'de fucks? Did de cock woke appy."

"No, but it sounds close."

Julia continued with second-only pauses, her attention completely focused on the station's occupants, her cawing steadily increasing in volume.

People started yelling and cursing from afar.

"Damn, that fucking bird will wake everyone up."

Julia stopped cawing abruptly after hearing some indiscernible sounds.

"Fuckin finally." Bernard 'said' after a short while. Julia immediately started cawing once again. A little lower this time.

"Godsdamn it!" Julia readied herself before the Creep even finished his curse, moving her body forward and away from the wall, left hand raised, and the knife on the ready. "I'll kill that thing!" Julia stopped cawing once she heard movements and gathered her focus.

The moment the guard took half-a-step outside the station's entrance Julia draw the Sign of Axii immediately, he didn't even managed to set his eyes on her. He was wearing only his pants and carried the young woman's bow along with her quiver of arrows in his now lowered hands, his head was also held low, and his eyes were slipping in and out of focus under the hypnotic Sign's influence. She lunged at him, roughly grabbing the back of his neck and burying the looted knife's blade deep into his neck.

"WHAD DE FUUUUuuuu _…_!" Bernard cries were cut short as the Axii hex's hypnotic wave left The Creep and moved to him.

Julia let The Creep's dead body to fall to the ground with the knife stuck on its neck and turned towards the station. She rushed inside.

The young woman was lying down on the wooden floor with her knees spread, her body touching the wooden floor from the upper part of her belly, her head soaked in a small paddle the contents of her own stomach had formed in the left, her arms tied behind her back with a rope. Bernard, who was now under Axii's effect, was on a kneeling position with his penis inside her anus.

Julia grabbed the young woman roughly by the hair. She groaned as she was pulled away from him and hit the floor.

The Sign's effect passed. "Wha wha de" Bernard exclaimed and look around in confusion, his eyes fell on the Witch.

At the same time, both make an attempt to reach for the unsheathed sword that was lying on the floor to right side of them.

The Witch grabbed it first. A small moment of increased adrenaline was all that her body needed to reach superhuman levels of agility, and she already had that when she moved to kill just a moment ago. She moved quickly to strike as soon as she raised the sword above the floor. The guard raised his right hand, but without clenching his fingers, as he tried to stand on his feet. To hit, to grab her, to reflexively 'block' the incoming swing? Julia didn't know. And it didn't matter as she severed his arm from below the elbow. He took a second to realize what just happened so fast, and once he did, started screaming. Without losing momentum Julia grabbed the sword with both hands for an immediate second swing, putting all her strength behind it, she beheaded him in a single horizontal sweep. Shadows engulfed her and everything inside the fort as the wind produced by the sword's momentum blown away the candle, the tip of the blade half-an-inch away from slicing it.

Julia let a few minutes pass. She could hear people yelling outside, but more importantly she could hear the young woman panting, and her heart beating fast.

Using the power of the Igni Sign the candle was lit once again with a mere snap of her fingers.

Julia turned her head down.

The young woman was lying on the floor, looking at her, her dark blue eyes reddened, and wide open. Julia hoped it was more out of shock rather than fear. Her face was unrecognizable. Her black hair a mess and drenched along with most of her face, especially from the right side, in her own vomit, and sweat - or spit - or tears - or all of them mixed together, snot dripping down her nose, a scar on the left side of her face was bleeding, starting from the temple and finishing on the lower side of her jaw, most likely the result of a carving knife.

She continued staring at Julia for some time while lying down, unmoving, the rhythm of her heart not slowing.

Julia's stare was completely neutral, her face displayed no emotion. "Stand up." She commanded.

After a few minutes of no changes, the young woman slowly tried to do as the Witch ordered. She rolled, and managed to raise her body from the waist up. She didn't continue further, ending up sitting on her knees.

"Stand up." Julia repeated and released the sword from her grip.

The young woman started slowly lowering her head, four seconds after the metallic sound was heard, and turn to the right. Her stare fell at Bernard's severed head that was on the floor, sideways from the right. After staring at it for a while, she turned to the left, just as slowly. She now was facing the entrance, looking at the corpse that was lying on the ground just outside with a knife stuck in its neck. She stared at it… For a long while.

"Hah, ha, hahaha" The young woman urinated "Ha ha ha ha, ha, hahahahaha ha, haha, ha ha, HAHA. HAHAHAHAHA, HAHA. Hahahahahaha, ha, HA, HAHA, HA, HA, HA, HAHA, HA. HA. HA. HA"

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story:** **Sleepless Night**

* * *

It was late but she couldn't sleep, so she decided to visit the library. The Monsters Section specifically. It has always been her favorite.

She was sitting on one of the smaller tables, leaning back in the chair with her feet up on it, her sketchbook in her hands, the small candle she brought provided all the light she needed to start drawing.

Celina originally planned to come to the castle only for a week or so to see her sisters and then return to Jedwabne, to her father, but now that was not a wise choice anymore, at least not on horseback. Snow had already covered the Amell Mountains up to the highest peak and heavy fog was a common occurrence in these parts, even more so during winter season, this season, which she hated. It passed through her mind to try and use Maleila's Megascope to teleport herself somewhere close to her village, but since both the enchantress and Torturer Joseph were currently absent from the School grounds, that was even less advisable.

Her hand stopped drawing for a moment before continuing once she heard footsteps. She shouldn't be surprised. The library was a popular place for isolation during late hours. Even if someone simply had trouble sleeping like her, or some of the novices wanted to 'experiment' with one another. It took her some time to accept those 'experiments' as acceptable but in the end she came to terms with it. She didn't support that kind of behavior but the unfortunate truth was that most of the novices may not even feel a man's touch before they are send on the Path, since men from outside aren't a common sight in the School of the Raven, at least not anymore. According to Marian they used to have some 'visitors' from outside every now and then a few decades ago, but she didn't elaborate any further than that. Celina wished sometimes that she was there during those decades. Losing your virginity at twenty one is just embarrassing for a Witch… _Even more so when one of your sisters constantly teases you about it, and your 'teacher' wields it as some kind of swear word._

The footsteps were coming closer, one person judging by the pacing. Light was emanating from the candle of the incoming individual as she was moving through the bookcases.

"You can't sleep either?" Julia's voice was heard. Celina recognized her before she even made herself completely visible. Her voice was always so distinctive: Mellow and monotonous, making her sound emotionless– _detached_ , Celina corrected herself, _detached_ , she repeated internally. Julia had feelings, and she was expressing them much more these last twelve years, and Celina was happy for that change. She needed it, and it was for the better, even if Celina found jarring sometimes the way her face could now change from perfect stillness, to utter fury, to laughing loudly in a moment's notice… Her heartfelt smiles though, were a beautiful sight indeed.

She stopped her drawing to look at her sister. Like Celina she wore the long winter cloak with fur that all of them, with the exception of Angelika, wore during the season, with the hood down, one of the castle's ravens was perched at her left shoulder, her fine, straight scarlet hair freely falling on her shoulders and, as always, her face barely had any scars that one would notice without looking closely.

Celina answered by slowly shaking her head, a small smile of her face, and resumed drawing.

"Care for some company?" Julia asked. The raven on her shoulder cawed and flapped its wings a little, touching her face. She just jiggled a little. "Or would you rather be alone?" She added.

"Make yourself comfortable, Julia." Celina's tone pretty much highlighted how ridiculous those questions were, she always liked Julia's company, and as of late, she enjoyed it the most, she always appreciated her considerate attitude… She and Angelika never connected, and it was only natural. Angelika was a high-born, and despite that counting for little anymore, the contempt she had for the common folk was still alive, and apparent. It was in the blood. She didn't make any attempts to hide it either when she and the rest of their conspiracy gathered around. Always sounded so smug when speaking about how she squeezed more coin out of poor peasant families without any thought of consideration to their situation, like during war-time… Violeta was easier to talk to, but unfortunately, Celina had a hard time looking at her face now for more than a few minutes without feeling the need to recoil or simply avert her eyes if she wasn't wearing her hood. Violeta was never exactly a beauty, but that Slyzard Matriarch completely destroyed her face, the entire left side of it was hideously burned, with the scarring reaching down to her neck, her unusually dark skin made Celina think of barbequed corpses when looking at her from that side.

After putting her own candle on the table as well, Julia turned to look at the raven and started cawing, just like one. The carrion bird left her shoulder and landed at the table in front of Celina. It looked at her, tilted its head a little and cawed twice -as if it wanted for her to notice it-. Celina paused for a minute to look at it, and frowned. She never liked those pesky things always following them around, monitoring their every move, in the privy even, she even spotted one watching her quietly from the rafters in one of the rare nights that the dorm was empty and she **_really_** wanted to have some alone time. Nothing happening around the fortress ever went by without the Old Hag knowing about it, Celina often wondered when she will die. She is over six-hundred years old so hopefully it would be soon.

"He likes you, you know." Julia said and proceeded placing all the three chairs she took from the table nearby. Once done, she sat back on the first one and used the other two to rest her long legs. She lastly removed her fur coat and covered herself with it, as if it was a blanket.

"The feeling is one-sided." Celina said scornfully. Julia gave her a disappointed look. She turned to the raven then, and whistled. It turned to her immediately. She cawed, and pointed at her cloak-covered legs with her head, or more precisely, her nose -as if saying 'come here' to it-, all while giving it the innocent smile of a little girl. The carrion bird did just that with small hops. Julia giggled. "Why the humanoid males can't be a little, just a little, more like you." She sighed and started stroking the carrion bird's thick beak.

Celina rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand her sisters' fascination with those birds. They may not hunt for human flesh actively like necrophages do, but those pests still made life difficult for the peasantry beyond simply be a morbid sight. When they damage grain fields, stealing (sometimes the last valuable possessions village folk keep stashed for an hour of serious need) and transfer diseases. They made things difficult for them as well, since they're often spying for leshy and other more ancient horrors.

Looking at her sister now, Celina couldn't help but think that her voice _just_ didn't suit her. Julia was tall, even when they were novices, but nobody expected that she would end up six feet and an inch tall while growing. She always towered over everyone in the School, even today. Thinking back at her adventure with Thera, Kaar'an and Zaer, she was taller than even Zarrikanian Faithel warriors, and while she could probably fight one on equal terms by virtue of being a mutant, she was less muscular than one.

"Updating the bestiary or simply drawing a picture?" Julia asked plainly.

"Both, actually." Celina answered "Take a look at this one. You would love it. I know how much you are into the _really_ fucked-up ones." She started moving the sheets of parchment that were lying on the table aside till she found her entry on the Queen of the Fairies. Once found all the pictures along with the entries she turned them around and moved them towards her sister.

"What the…" Julia's voice trailed as she took a few glimpses "Heeell?"

Reactions like these delighted Celina, it made her feel prouder of her drawing skills. She giggled in satisfaction "You like it?"

"It definitely is… well… finely detailed." Julia turned to Celina with a somewhat nervous smile before returning to the pictures "But… honestly Celina are you certain that you didn't take some… 'Artistic liberties', with this… Queen of the Fairies?"

"There are no 'artistic liberties' when I design, sister. I thought you knew this by now." Celina said, a bit defensively. She could recount pretty much everything she ever saw, clearly and with great detail, she only had a hard time imagining things without some kind of reference.

"The body… completely humanoid, a giant stinger… of. A wasp? Located in her back? Enormous butterfly-like wings that grow out of the back of her head, taking the place of the hair- Could she actually fly with them?" Julia sounded doubtful as she finished.

"Yes." Celina answered and started shaking her head dramatically, reaching all the way from one shoulder to the next "And very, very, very fast."

Julia left the drawing on the table and turn to the entry. "Threat level: Red… Hmh…, Susceptibility: Fire. That's it, just fire?" She turned to Celina again "No silver or steel?"

"No." Celina said softly and shook her head again, but this time without theatrical exaggerations "She could even touch silver without problem. Even commented of how pretty my sword looked, right before she snapped the blade, with her bare hands."

"Wow… Igni must have been a lifesaver."

"It was, Quen even more so, Dancing Star as well."

"Ow… Dancing Star?" Julia asked, with a curious look to match "Whats that?"

Celina stopped drawing "A bomb." She answered her sister's question "A mixture of saltpeter, and sulfur" She decided to elaborate "Highly volatile. On detonation, it produces a fiery explosion. Quite useful, when facing multiple enemies… If you're careful not to caught yourself in the blast that is."

"I see… Good idea."

Celina continued drawing once again, happy and relieved that her sister didn't ask for more details on the matter. She didn't want to remember that contract.

"Recommended oil: Cursed Oil (* Important note: Coat and use Steel sword only! Silver is ineffective!) Recommended potions: Blizzard, Willow, Golden Oriole, White Honey- W-Wait, what?!" Julia jerked. The raven flapped its wings and cawed in clear displeasure. She apologized to the bird and started stroking its beak again. She then turned again to Celina. "Care to… elaborate… about the entry."

"Apart from her insane agility, her wings produced a highly poisonous powder. But the worst part was the 'proboscis'" Julia turned her head towards the cursed girls' drawing that she let on the table "It served as some kind of whip-like weapon. I literally didn't realize what hit me. I thought I imagined it, until I started suddenly convoluting. In just a few seconds my body's toxicity reached critical level. That unusual toxin wasn't just there either. That stinger in her back. Not for show."

"Allrrrrrrrrright" Julia laughed nervously. "And here I thought the Razor Wind Swordsman was the most dangerous adversary one could come across."

Celina couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculously over-the-top nickname "Razor. Wind. Swordsman?"

Julia laughed as well "Yeah."

"Let me guess, a mage named the monster? Cause only a mage can come up with such a… creative moniker."

"Ye-up. Though in this case, it might have been a fitting one."

"Really?"

"It was a Drekavac."

While Celina was intrigued she has almost finished her sketch so she withheld any questioning for a later. She wanted to focus on all the details, up to the very smallest one.

She smiled serenely as she finished.

Her smile melted away as she looked at the picture…

That picture of times better.

 _When mom was still alive._

 _When I would come home and she would embrace me._

 _When she would insist I let her patch my clothes._

 _When we will start cooking and she wound pretty much do it for me once I ruined the food… "Sorry, mommy."_

 _When she would pester me about getting married so that she wouldn't need to be the only one taking care of me from up in heaven… "You didn't mind who that man would be: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Witcher. Your only demand was that he should be able to make me laugh."_

 _When she, I and dad will all sit around the table for dinner. And gossip, curse, laugh… "_ _Dad was still smiling then."_

 _He wasn't the laughingstock of the village then._

 _He wasn't always drinking then._

 _He wasn't crying for mom in his sleep then._

 _He wasn't… He wasn't… "_ _NO! NO! That night never happen! He didn't! No! It was all in my head! All in my head! He never -"_

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwe." Celina's head immediately jerked up as she heard the completely uncharacteristic girly sounds her sister was making. Her eyes widened and her mouth went slightly agape at the sight in front of her.

Julia was bending forward, resting her head in her locked hands and looking at the raven with starry eyes. The best description Celina could come up with when looking at the raven now was a puffball with a beak. "Look at him Celina, isn't he just ADOOOORABLEEEE?!" Julia asked in an overly excited, high-pitched tone of voice.

"Yeees. Adorable… like a Nekker." Celina snorted. Her sister ignored her, looking at the carrion bird as if looking at a baby kitten. She started 'talking' to it again.

"Yuuummy!" The raven squeaked in a perfect imitation of Julia's high-pitch tone.

"Did you promise him fresh human intestines next time you're back, sister? Hope he likes'em dry." Celina said in a sweet voice that held a nice drop of venom in it.

Julia turn to Celina with a judgmental look. She took the hint this time it seems. "They are intelligent, cunning and beautiful creatures. And loyal friends if you earn their trust." She said while stroking the bird, from head to tail this time, the sounds it was making made clear that it enjoyed it.

"I am sure Leshy agree," Celina said, smiling sarcastically, "considering they'll attack us on their command without hesitation. Bruxsae too, since they enjoy their singing so much, maybe that's why they like you so much sister, you remind them of one."

Julia turn away from Celina and held her head low, her long blood-red hair obstructing her face from view. She always did that when feeling intensely about something, usually negative.

Celina felt guilty for touching this subject, knowing full well her sister was sensitive about it. It wasn't her fault and Celina knew well she wasn't responsible for her current problems. "Sorry." She said in low voice.

"Celina" She said and turned to her, revealing her face to Celina, pushing away some of her scarlet hair away with a shake of her head "Are you… alright?" She asked in a calm voice, to Celina's sock, her blue eyes held a weird combination of curiosity and compassion, not a small hint of anger in it.

Celina answered after a long, a very long, silence, her voice came in the form of a whisper "No."

"Can I help you somehow?"

Celina gave her sister a warm smile "You are already helping." With those last sincere words, Celina turned the page of her sketchbook. "Mind you sing while I draw?"

"Sure." Julia said happily "What the next subject calls for?"

"Hmh… Realizations."


	9. Clouds - Insincerity

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 9: Clouds - part 2: Insincerity**

* * *

The young woman continued laughing, and laughing, and laughing.

 _"Human mind is like glass, so easy to just break."_ Julia thought looking at the weakling. She half-expected that she would have felt something akin to sympathy for her, but she didn't. If anything, she was making an effort not to break her stoic mask and start laughing herself at the pathetic sight: The young woman sitting on her knees in a pool of her own urine. Her upper body drenched in vomit from her breasts upwards, the unsavory mixture of bodily fluids covering her face scattering as her head was twitching uncontrollably under her mad laughter. Julia saw blood dripping from a cut that was dangerously close to the right lip of her vagina as she was checking her for any injuries. The young woman was a complete mess, but, fortunately for her, not seriously injured, the cuts were shallow.

The scarlet-haired Witch walked to the young woman and kneeled, bringing herself on equal footing with her.

She slapped her. Hard.

The young woman stopped laughing.

For a while her head was facing right as if frozen in place before turning, slowly, to look at the Witch, shock and fear written all over her face. She lowered her head, and started trembling.

Julia gently touched her chin, raising her head up a bit so that their eyes met, and came closer to her face, more than she would have preferred in fact, but she deemed it necessary "They are dead. It's over." Julia said softly, and gave the young woman a compassionate smile. She knew that the situation was sensitive and called for a delicate approach if she wanted to benefit from it at all. If all go as she hoped, Rena would be even more willing to talk about her family members than even her little brother was after tonight, and make gathering information regarding the contract easier. Julia only needed to play the role of the noble savior for just a little while longer.

The young woman was staring directly at the Witch's eyes.

Julia stood and went behind the young woman to untie her.

As soon as her hands were free the young woman turn to face her, her eyes started tearing up.

Julia went back on her knees again "Its all going to be -" before she said another word the young woman embraced her suddenly.

"It's over." Julia said in the same soft tone as before and embraced her as well.

The young woman was trembling. Julia spotted a blanket made from wool resting on the left chair of two that were in the back as her eyes wondered for a bit. She tried to break away to collect it but as soon as she made the attempt the young woman hugged her even tighter. She started crying.

A few minutes passed. Rena didn't seem willing to let go. _"Damn humans"_ Julia cursed internally _"Not only they are weak, physically and mentally, they hold for dear life as well."_ She thought, allowing her face to form a grimace now that the young woman wasn't looking at her face.

Julia began to worry about the corpse outside. "Rena" She began "We need to leave here. Do you understand what I'm saying?" The young woman didn't seem to pay any attention to her words, shedding broken tears with her hold not relaxing in the slightest. "If we stay here they'll find us." She continued, speaking slowly and softly.

No change yet. "They'll throw us both in the dungeon then, regardless of what these men did to you."

No change still. The more the weakling was wasting precious time the more Julia's patience was running low, along with the desire to bite her in the neck… She pushed the idea away. She couldn't risk losing her trust by resorting to any more force, and in fact, Julia didn't trust herself to not act, look, or sound somehow unsettling if she accidentally bit deeper than intended and taste the young woman's blood. "Do you know how women are treated if they end up in a dungeon?" Julia said after a few more seconds passed. "How jailers like to make them 'regret' their crimes?" She continued in a more gravely tone "But we never 'regret' enough." She changed in a low whisper "Not according to them. No matter our reasons." Julia alternate between a tense and more normal tone of voice as she delivered her next words, trying to give the impression that she was restraining anger "No matter if your drunken swine of a husband beats you, EVERY NIGHT, and you cut his throat in his sleep… because you simply couldn't take it anymore. Or that you were a nobleman's mistress… for ten years – TEN FUCKING YEARS! And mother of his three illegitimate children, and the only thing you EVER asked of him was to come and see them, ONCE… Just once." The young woman started sniffling, Julia hoped it was an effort to suppress her tears "Or that you simply fell in love… with someone that you shouldn't" Rena's hold started loosening then "No matter what, they'll make us 'regret'. That we haven't been born with a prick between our legs." Her last line was powdered with extra resentment. Julia paused for a moment before continuing. "You don't want to be where I've been, lass." She said in a sorrowful tone before changing in a more compassionate one. "Please be strong… You have your whole life ahead of you… Please don't let this break you." Julia finished, and hoped for the best.

Not hearing anyone approaching still, the Witch decided to give the young woman some more time to collect herself, but this time it was the last. She was actually quite surprised that she managed to give such a performance while feeling under pressure. It wasn't a complete fabrication though. She had actually met the abused women she mentioned when imprisoned, but not all of them share the same cell and the reasons for their imprisonment were far less sympathetic. How could she forget? The first one especially.

Silence fell for a while.

The young woman has stopped crying. Not sure as of the why, but Julia started stroking her dirty hair. "Rena. Please. Let go of me." The Witch said in a gentle tone, to her own surprise, it came out naturally. "We need to go. Now." She continued, hoping that this time, she'll get through to her.

The young woman finally retracted, slowly, but she did.

The Witch stood up, and offered her hand.

The young woman took it and began to rise up. Her knees were shaking. She lost her balance, and she would have fallen if Julia didn't hold her hand tightly "Stand." The Witch said, her tone firm, but just enough so that her frustration will not show.

The young woman was finally standing on her feet. Julia was actually surprised that she managed the second time since she definitely was in a lot of pain, and her face showed it a few times, she has been sodomized after all, and not gently at all. She lowered her head once again and covered her dirty exposed body with her hands as if in shame.

Julia went to the back to take the woolen blanket. Right after she picked it up from the chair, she heard movement befind her. She turned quickly to see that the young woman was picking her boots from the floor.

Once she picked her boots up, she remained in place, holding them tightly to her chest. She didn't pick any of the guard's clothes, which was curious, since besides her boots they have destroyed the rest of her clothes. Meaning she didn't pick them with the intent to wear them, her action wasn't governed by reason. Julia cursed internally, again. But still came by the young woman and covered her with the blanket, pretending to be gentle and sympathetic to her suffering… _And suppressing the desire to simply punch her in the face with all her strength and curry her unconscious body like a potato sack back to her room in the Ugly Duckling!_

Rena stared at the Witch with wide eyes as she covered her. For whatever reason, she seemed surprised, if not shocked, by the gesture. Julia took the smaller one of the two pairs of pants that were lying on the floor and hold them up to her. "Put them on." She instructed. "Quickly." She added, a bit more harshly this time. The young woman put her boots down, carefully away from the paddles of bile and urine, and took the pants. After also picking up a belt from the floor and throw it in her direction, Julia went outside to check.

She didn't hear anyone approaching, and saw no one around. For once, she couldn't believe her own luck. She grabbed the corpse from the handle of the knife protruding from its neck and hair and dragged it inside the fort. She purposely left it to lie in the paddle of vomit inside and went outside again to collect the young woman's possessions. Apart from Rena's bow, quiver of arrows and knife, Julia decided to also take the sick guard's unusual 'weapon' for herself, storing it into her satchel – She also made a note to herself to collect the sword she used before to decapitate the other rape-happy guard as an average sword's blade shouldn't cut flesh and bone so cleanly and easily, Julia may have been stronger than any human woman but enough to sever limbs with single swings she was not, so it was definitely not ordinary. She had made a habit of collecting both useful, and, strange things whenever the opportunity presented itself and she could carry them. And that trick The Creep pull may even prove useful in the future. And if not, she could keep it as a grisly memento, better that than cutting off his testicles and preserve them in one her monster sample jars, she thought, amused, reminiscing about her long abandoned habit.

Julia returned inside the post only to discover, to her own frustration, that the young woman had in fact, not, worn the trousers, her head low. "Your things." Julia said. Rena ignored her and continued looking down. Following the direction of her head and misty -wide enough that seemed ready to burst out of her skull at any moment now- eyes, Julia realized that Rena was actually staring at the perverted guard's corpse.

The last traces of Julia's patience were finally exhausted. "Fuck it!" She cursed in utter fury, threw Rena's things on the floor, and rushed towards her fully willing to punch her…

She only took two steps forward before stopping…

In only a few seconds, whatever frustration, anger or ill intent Julia might have felt completely vanished, and replaced with shock and surprise.

It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that Julia needed a few seconds to process that the young woman just fell down on her knees by the corpse, grabbed the handle of the knife buried in its neck, pulled it out, and started stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing…

She looked absolutely demented as she stabbed, repeatedly, and without pausing: in the face, in the arms, in the torso, in the legs, in the groin, everywhere, holding the knife firmly with both hands, blood falling on her each time she raised the knife above her head. Her eyes just as wide as they were mere moments ago but they weren't moving at all as she stabbed—not even a single blink—tears running down her cheeks, a murderous smile revealing clenching white teeth on her face. She wasn't making any sounds either, no screaming, no panting, nothing. She was clearly in pain, her arms trembled, and each time she buried the knife and pull out the next stab was delivered with reduced force and speed, but she didn't stop.

Julia was all but frozen in place, incapable of taking her eyes off. All sense of agency she felt mere seconds ago became a distant memory. It was like time stood still. She was completely mesmerized by the sight…

 _This beautiful sight._

 _It was so rare, to had the chance to witness humans in such a pure state._

 _Fear, agony, despair, fury… All of these emotions were etched into the young woman's face and body._

 _Humans were beautiful only then._

 _At their lowest point. Only then they are genuine._

 _Stripped them of any clothes, dignity and false sense of superiority, and the true monsters finally show themselves._

 _Lecherous, heartless, petty, violent, sadistic, murderous, vindictive_ _…_

 _Steel was indeed meant for humans._

 _. . ._

 _. . ._

 _. . ._

Julia wasn't sure how much time had pass, minutes, seconds, hours she didn't know anymore but the young woman finally stopped. It was unintentional, the knife actually slipped from her hands during the final time she stabbed, most likely due to her hands being soaked in the guard's blood. The young woman paused.

After a while she stood up. She took a step back and started raising her hands, slowly, trembling, she covered her mouth with them, she started blinking, looking shocked.

"What the fuck?" A voice was heard.

It took Julia a few seconds to realize that someone was outside as she broke from her trance and returned to reality. She turned without thinking towards the source of the voice, but as she did a sound was heard… in a fraction of a second she identified it as the hamming of a crossbow, she instinctively raised her hands, intending to catch the incoming arrow… too late. Her movement was not quick enough and the arrow found a mark…

It found her heart.

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Together in school - part 2**

 **|- Angelika -|**

* * *

"Apologize, apologize now!" Angelika demanded as she managed to get the upper hand and pinned down the _stupid little 'virgin'_ to the bed, lying on top of her with all her weight, and holding her wrists tightly. Despite her disadvantageous position, she continued thrashing around, trying to break free. She never knew when to give up.

"Fuck you!" She exclaimed angrily. Angelika never understood why exactly anyone would consider cursing someone else with these two words. Sex is a blessing, and one her sister needed to indulge in more often. Way more often.

"Be sure I will, now -" –– "Calm down Angelika." Violeta's voice was the last thing she heard before feel a sharp pain in her head, followed by disorientation… Something violently collided with lower part of her face...

Before she knew it, Angelika, with the taste of blood in her mouth, was laying on her back with Celina on top of her, bending down, and restraining her by pinning her arms on the bed(s), holding tightly.

Celina smiled smugly as she leaned closer to Angelika's face. "Well who's on top now, bitch?" She said, her tone matching her expression.

Instead of answering Angelika moved to bite her nose. Unfortunately, she missed every time, as Celina dexterously avoided each and every one of her attempts.

The balance of power changed when Violeta grabbed Celina's ear and twisted it. "Ow, ow, ow…" She groaned repeatedly.

"You too Celina." Violeta said still holding her ear, she sounded like a stern mother scolding her own child "Now." She added with extra emphasis and twist.

Celina groaned again, "Ow, ow, ow, fine!" She finally complied.

The first thing Angelika did once Celina was off her was to check her nightgown. "You ruined it!" She cried and anxiously took it off to examine it closely. Her anxiousness turned to horror as she saw the two big holes on it, one on the lower part of the left side and the other higher on the back, the right strap have also been torn off. "Have you any idea how much it costed? You cunt!"

"Well, whores shouldn't wear anything anyway. It was getting in the way of your work, so I helped a bit." Celina snarked from the other side of the bed "You should thank me, you know." She added with a really, really ugly smile, her voice dripping with venom as she repeated Angelika's previous (rather poorly chosen) words.

Angelika's features hardened. She threw her ruined nightgown on Celina's face. "Get over it." She said, still tasting her own blood, for the third time since this deal started.

Celina angrily threw the ruined nightgown on the floor.

Angelika used her right hand to wipe out the blood before continue speaking "It's been five years since then. Five! Have you not something better to do than just reminiscing of your old fuckmates? Besides if you liked his cock that much, you could have just joined us, you-" –– "JOINED YOU?! FUCK YOU!" Yelled Celina immediately, her face, as well as her voice, expressing a mixture of both anger and disgust. Angelika didn't even understand exactly how the whole argument started. Maybe something she said besides the 'You should thank me, you know' when she mentioned Albert? As if he gave a lock of a nightwraith's hair about her. Sorcerers aren't exactly known for their dedication to monogamy, and why should they? Monogamy is a human ideal mostly reserved for peasants, and while of course they gladly throw any ideals out of the window whenever it suits them, it made some modicum of sense for them. Since most of them lived sheltered lives with a maximum lifespan of a blinking eighty years or so, provided that they won't die of course from some nasty disease, or devoured by a beast, or killed by another humanoid for one petty reason or another. But Celina preferred to comfort to this quixotic ideal instead of enjoy the benefit of the centuries-long lifespan and long youth her mutations provided. If her sister was that mad with her for 'seducing' Albert, she would have definitely become hostile if she ever learned that she also disembowel him, looted his corpse for any valuables, and then used it as ghoul bait to take care of a nest to the northern parts of the mountains.

"Was this about the Sorcerer?" Julia's soft voice was heard after a while. Celina and Angelika turn to her at the same time. She was holding two earthen mugs in each hand, the delightful aroma of Redanian honey-spiced vodka was obviously coming from them. She finally decided to pay attention this time it seemed, instead of simply lying on her bed, hands behind her head, eyes closed with that faint smile of hers… She was so beautiful when she was like that… so serene and peaceful. Angelika sometimes was looking at her when she was asleep. Was she aware of it? She didn't know, but the sight was enough to make her feel calmer after a horrible nightmare.

"Tak" Angelika answered with a smile and turned back to Celina "Apparently his moderate performance was enough for our baby sister here." She fell then on the matress with her entire body down, facing towards her baby sister. She crossed her arms in front of her, rest her head on them, and started moving her raised lower legs back and forth. "You need to expand your horizons sister" She said with a mischievous smile and started rubbing her legs together rather sensually. Angelika always loved messing with her like that since her sister openly disapproved of… What she said again? Shameful, vulgar displays? She was clearly just envious. Objectively speaking though, she is pretty, in a plain, completely unremarkable sort of way. Still, Angelika never found her particularly enticing.

Celina grimaced, turn her head to the right and angrily crossed her arms, very tightly, to her flat chest, fingernails scratching her upper arms. She reminded Angelika of a child throwing a tantrum.

Angelika turned to the left to look at Julia "If a man is over a century old," she said, smiling coquettishly, and turned her whole body to the side to give her the full view. Her sister lowered her head for a moment before looking back at her with a somewhat awkward expression "uses tongue, without knowing how," Angelika continued, Julia avoided her gaze at that point "then he'll never know how to fuck properly. You should have dumb him a loooooong time ago."

"Sorry Celina," Violeta interjected "but I am with her on that one." She said while walking towards Julia. After reliving her left hand from the earthen mugs she walked back to her sisters. She offered one in each of them.

"Of course you are," Celina said with a sour expression as she took the mug "you always encourage her, you and Julia both."

Angelika quickly change positions and sat cross-legged to take the mug. Once it was in her hands she took a good, long whiff.

Angelika signed, really deeply, and audibly.

"Wow" Violeta said with an ever small hint of amusement "That must have been **the most** yearning sigh I've ever heard." Her last word was accompanied by a very low giggle.


	10. Clouds - New turns

**/**

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens**

 **Story Arc One: Weeping Willow**

 **Chapter 10: Clouds - part 3: New turns**

* * *

Shot from such a short distance the force from the bolt made Julia stumble, she took two unsteady steps back, almost losing her balance. She groaned as felt the sharp point of the bolt inside her heart, her head lowered, her eyes shut tight and her teeth clenched in a pain. She went down on her knees, right besides the sword that was lying on the floor, and bend slightly forward. The candle snuffed out.

She heard the voices of men coming from outside.

"What the hell Artur?"

"Romina?"

"M-my finger slipped."

"Your finger sli- Are you kidding me?!"

The Witch raised her head. She saw her attackers: Three guardsmen, all wearing standard Angrenian cuirasses meant to protect their torsos. The one to the right was stouter looking and bearded, he was armed with a halberd, and also carried a short sword in his belt, unlike his fellows he was more heavily armored, sporting knights' gauntlets where the other two wore simple leather gloves, greaves, and a helmet with a visor, open at the moment. The middle one was the one that shoot her, his crossbow now empty, a knife was hanging from a leather strap across his chest. The one to the left was carrying a torch but besides this Julia couldn't make out any of his weapons from that angle, only half of him was visible through the door.

Julia stretched her left arm forward, reaching towards the guards "Please… help… help me" She said, her voice low, pleading, she exaggerated her pain, all while reading herself to cast the Sign of Aard. Even if she was hurting, the Sign will still have enough power to freeze all three of them somewhat at least, and if not, it will knock them off their feet and give her the necessary time to kill them, but she needed them to come closer to be sure.

The arbalest eyes went wide as they fell on the Witch "You!?" He cried in surprise "What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked. Julia didn't break character. Taking a better look at the arbalest, she recognized him as one of Bolo's friends – Specifically the one he gave the innkeeper's crossbow to after beating him that night. It'll make no difference to the Witch. She'll kill him like the rest.

"What th- Look there!" The bearded guard pointed at the corpses.

The guard on the left unlike his fellows said nothing but he was staring the most intently. He might have fallen for her ruse, but Julia was still unsure as of how to interpret his expression.

"I'm sorry." Rena said suddenly.

"Irina?!" cried the guard to the left.

"I'm sorry, didn want to- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Rena repeated continuously, uncontrollably, as if in a trance again. Maybe she was.

But what happened next was even more unexpected and shocking, enough to make Julia forget about her pain, if only for that one moment. That moment that the guard to the left out of seemingly nowhere took out a knife and stacked it on his fellow's neck! The Witch's eyes turn wide immediately "Fu…" her mouth went agape as the swear word never fully escaped her mouth.

The arbalest let out a sound that might have been a gasp, he didn't die immediately. He stared at his attacker in shock and dropped his crossbow. His left hand tried to reach for his own knife in his strap but his attacker acted quickly and grabbed the knife first. He took it out of its sheath, and stuck it in his neck as well.

"BY THE GODS!" Cried the halberdier, and dropped his weapon. Julia quickly moved her arm away as the long weapon fell inside the fort, it landed in front of her, its sharp point only a few inches away.

The arbalests' arms fell, his eyes wide open and teary, his face went loose as life left him for good. His attacker didn't lose any time, as soon as his 'fellow' was dead he quickly raised his right leg, put his boot in his lifeless body's' abdomen region, and kicked him, hard, throwing the corpse towards the other guard, pulling out both knives at the same time in the process.

The other guard didn't flinch much. In fact he reacted surprisingly quickly, grabbing the corpse thrown at him and throwing it back at the knife-wielder, causing him to stagger. That gave the bearded guard the time he needed to draw his short sword, along with an elaborate dagger that he had behind his belt. Whatever shock or dismay he might have felt a while ago, didn't now, his features have hardened.

The knife-wielder pushed the arbalests' body aside, to the Witch's surprise, without dropping any of his knives.

The two men stare at one another for a second, only a pace and an inch away, before engaging. The knife-wielder tried to strike first, but as he moved, the bearded one swung his sword at him with surprising speed for a man of his size, aiming for the head. The knife-wielder managed to avoid it by moving back just in time, still, the blade cut at his chin, not deeply, but it did. After that first swing, a second one followed just as quick, then a third one, pushing the knife-wielder further back, till both combatants ended up out of the Witch's sight.

Julia used that opportunity to take the bolt off, alarmed at the pain that was extending into the rest of her chest.

She shrieked as the projectile exited. "Damn it! Damn it! AAAAAAHH! FUCK!" Her teeth clenched as she swore, her eyes shut tight again. Her body bend even lower than before, she instinctively put her left hand on her chest to clutch her wound, the bolt's shaft broke at her right hand as it became a fist in response to the pain, her forehead touched the floor.

Once the pain subsided somewhat, Julia raised her head, bringing the bolt close enough so that she can take a better look at it: The broadhead sported three serrated razor-sharp blades meant to cause severe hemorrhaging on the victim, both on entry and even more so on removal -those were illegal in the Northern Realms and most of the Provinces- The broadhead's blades had rust in them but they were still sharp, suggesting that this wasn't the result of neglect, it was a deliberately brought effect, Julia also caught the unmistakable scent of Aconitum Napellus coming from the projectile as well. She let the bolt fall, and, with the same hand, quickly drew the Sign of Quen. The magical firefly started cycling her as soon as it manifested, she could already feel the Sign's healing powers mending her wound.

Sounds of fighting were still audible outside.

Julia grabbed the sword resting besides her with her left hand and started the arduous process of rising on her feet. Whatever the reasons might be for the guard's hostile actions, she decided to help him. Her chest was still hurting, but since she didn't had Golden Oriole with her to instantly neutralize any poisoning in her bloodstream, she had to wait for her body to naturally fight off the malign effect caused by the deadly projectile. Once stood, she began slowly walking towards the door, leaning close by the wall in case she would need to catch her balance on it.

One of the guards screamed in agony. She wasn't sure which one. The sound of something violently colliding with the ground soon followed.

"I'll kill you, you whoreson!" The Witch heard as she finally reached the entrance. She turned to the left to see that the bearded guard had overwhelmed his opponent.

The hostile guard was pinned down. He was still holding a knife on his right hand but the bearded one was grasping tightly at it, keeping it on the ground and deny him any use of it, his spare hand was gripping at his opponent's, fighting desperately to keep the bloodied dagger that was heading for his throat away.

The Witch walked towards the combatants, passing the still lit torch that lay on the ground. She originally tried to make as little noise as possible, but once it became evident to her that the guard on the ground won't be able to hold for long, she sped up.

Once she was close enough, she raised the sword, aiming for the back of the bearded one's neck. He must have heard her, as his head turn to her direction slightly before the sword fell. The big guard groaned in pain at the strike. It wasn't strong enough to decapitate him though. She was still hurting, her blows had less strength than before, despite using the same sword that previously managed to decapitated Rena's raper in a single swing.

The Witch's sword strike may not have killed the bearded guard, but it wounded him, and gave his opponent the opportunity to break his grip on his right hand. The next moment his knife's blade was inside the bearded guard's neck. When the bigger man breathed his last, the knife-wielder threw his body off him. The Witch realized then that the scream she heard before was his as she saw the slashing wound on his right thigh. It wasn't a serious injury, the human will survive.

The surviving guard was lying flat on the ground, sweating and breathing heavily. "Gods…" He exclaimed after a few seconds and put his hand on his face, covering the entire left side of it, he took a deep breath "Wh… What just happened?" he asked, probably no one judging by how at a loss he looked, and stroked his face upwards.

"You tell me." Julia said and leaned to look at the guard, using the sword to balance herself. The look on the man's face made clear to her that only now he realized she was here. "Why you did that?" she asked more clearly.

Instead of answering, the guard attempted to rise from the ground. He groaned as he did, and in the end he didn't went very far. He used his left hand to keep himself above the ground from the midriff up while clutching his wound with the right one. "What the…" he began but his voice trailed as his eyes fell at the Witch "You…" his eyes widened, Julia realized that he was staring at her chest "Y-you should be dead!"

Julia let out a small laugh before speaking "That's what my fencing instructor also told me the first time" She said, and laughed again. She couldn't help it, she wasn't even sure why. Maybe she grew so used to having survived fatal injuries that it seemed amusing to her when others were shocked at the fact? "She eventually came to the conclusion that I was simply too dumb to know when was time to die, haha."

The left side of the guard's mouth did almost form a smile for a second there, but it was more out of shock and disbelief judging by how intently he was staring at her without blinking – a reaction. His eyes started following the Sign of Quen.

Julia sighed. She dispelled the Sign with a left-hand gesture, to make things more comfortable for the human. She offered her hand for him to grasp.

The guard stared at it, unmoving.

"Come on, quickly!" urged the Witch.

The guard finally took it.

He groaned as he was helped back to his feet. Once stood, the guard bended immediately "Fuckkk" he hissed in pain and clutched at his wound.

"Don't be such a girl, it's not that…" Julia cut her teasing short when she saw the blood pouring through the guard's fingers in a stream, alarmed at the sight since the wound wasn't that deep and thus he shouldn't bleed that much. Worst yet, she didn't brought any bandages with her when she left the Ugly Duckling. "Any bandages?" she asked hastily.

"What?"

"We need to dress that up, are there any bandages?"

"Irina" the guard said. He didn't seem to have paid attention to the Witch's question "W-where is she?"

With all that transpired Julia had forgotten about the young woman… last she remembers, she was inside the station "Inside…" she turn to look at the post "I think?" she finished her sentence, and then turn back to the guard.

The guard attempted to walk. But before he even finished his second rather unsteady step, he lost his balance.

The Witch let the sword fall from her hand and quickly moved to grab the man before he hit to the ground. She caught him. "Don't move you idiot!"

"Fuckkkk" the guard hissed "It hurts… like hell it does." He grimaced.

Julia's eyes fell on his wound again. It was bleeding, profusely. _There was no time to waste_ , the Witch thought, or the man will bleed to death before long. "Listen now, don't freak out with what you are about to see." she warned him, rather dispassionately.

"Heh?" uttered the guard as he looked at her questioningly.

"You don't wish to die I bet, so trust me. This is for your own good." The Witch warned once more, and for the final time. If the guard starts welling, or turn hostile after, his death will come from her hands. _She owned him nothing. She could of have saved herself._

Julia casted Quen, and with a further gesture of her hand, she transferred the Sign to the guard. The magical 'firefly' nimbly moved to the guard's thigh and began circling his wound. The guard's eyes widen in surprise but he didn't make any sudden moves. This was definitely a good sign _"Means this human is grateful at least"_ the Witch thought and the shadow of a smile almost crept at her lips.

"What the-" the guard turned to Julia "You a sorceress?" he asked, simply, without any disgust or harshness in his voice, his face expressed only surprise. _He couldn't be one of the mage-hunters that came to Weeping Willow_ , she concluded.

"No, a… a Witcher" Julia answered, even if the guard wasn't a magic-hating fanatic, calling herself 'witch' could only cause misunderstandings these days. "Never mind me. Bandages?" she asked again. Coupled with her advanced regeneration, the Sign of Quen can mend wounds in seconds when casted on herself but the natural regeneration of humans is a pretty slow process.

"W-what?"

"Bandages!" the Witch snapped at the guard, frustrated at the humans' typical lack of sense that he displayed "Do you have any with you?!" she looked at the corpses around "Or do any of your 'friends'?" she stressed the last word.

"… Inside. In the post…" the guard finally answered, after seemingly thought about it for a few seconds.

"Can you walk?"

"Y-es." Despite his boldness the guard was still grimacing.

Julia let go of him, they needed to move quickly. They both headed for the station. The Witch walked while the guard limped, clutching at his wound.

Once they both passed the door's threshold, Julia snapped her fingers. Then they found out the reason for the young woman's absence: She passed out.

 _"I guess the old saying is true "A barking dog need not be afraid of""_ the Witch thought contemptuously _"How the hell did I actually thought that this weakling might hide some fire inside her?"_

"Irina!" the guard cried and run to the young woman – in the form of a fast-paced limping, meanwhile Julia was checking the inside of the station. There where two wooden chairs, one in the back where she took the woolen blanket, and another one -with a similar blanket on top of the seat- by the simple table where the candle was laying, along with two wooden tankards, a dish, and leftovers of bread and cheese, the table had no drawers, a weapon rack was on the back to the far left where two loaded crossbows where resting along with a square-shaped quiver to the side.

"Irina! Irina, wake up!" the guard shaked the unconscious young woman twice. When she didn't wake up he checked her pulse. "Thank the gods" he let out a sigh of relief as he confirmed that she was alive.

"Where're the bandages!?" asked Julia urgently as she saw nothing that seemingly could be used as first aid storage – No cabinets, or kits, or anything of the sort inside.

"What?" the guard asked… and then Julia realized that she misunderstood his priorities. She didn't ask any further and rushed outside to pick the new corpses up, to bring them inside, and set fire to the thing before another patrol came by.

She brought the corpse of the arbalest inside and left it along with the rapers'. It started to look like pile now. She hastily went back to the entrance, grabbed the crossbow and halberd and carelessly threw them further inside.

"Hey, watch out!" the guard protested as the halberd's blade landed close to his leg. The Witch ignored him and went on to pick up the last of the evidence from outside, starting with the smaller weapons.

She put the rogue guard's knife in her belt and went immediately for the big one's dagger. Her hasty movements came to a sudden halt then as she took a closer look at the bloodied weapon… She had never seen this design before, she wasn't sure about the origins or even the metal that it was made of, but she was now sure she knew the reason behind its latest victim's excessive bleeding – the entire weapon was covered in runes, specifically those of Dziewanna, the Huntress, and not just the blade, but the crossguard and the hilt as well. It was only slightly smaller than her steel dagger, so she put it into the small scabbard behind her belt and returned to the task at hand.

Deciding to leave the sword for last, she rushed to the last dead body that was lying outside. She grabbed it by the shoulders and began dragging it towards the station. The bearded guard's corpse was much heavier so it was taking some more effort, even so, her senses were focused this time, she won't allow herself to be ambushed again so stupidly.

In the end the task took only a minute. Julia threw the last corpse to the pile and stop to catch her breath for a few seconds. She bended forward and clutched at her thighs as she was gasping for air.

"Damn, huh, you're strong for a woman." said the rogue guardsman, a hint of bemusement in his voice.

Julia didn't like the comment as it sounded a lot like a mockery in a very inappropriate time. She turned to the guard with an angry look on her face "Shut it an-" Julia stopped abruptly, her expression soften as saw that the guard had actually dressed up his wound… with a pink handkerchief?… The absence of the Quen Sign came to her attention. "Does it -ah- still hurt?" she asked between breaths, pointing at the wound with a cock of her head.

"Not as bad. But the moment that bright thingy you conjured vanished, I started bleeding again."

"Is where you live further than the Ugly Duckling? I stay there. I can stitch you up."

The guard turned to the unconscious young woman on the floor instead of answering, Julia followed his gaze.

The way she was covered with the two blankets seemingly asleep, Rena looked almost like chrysalis. The sight managed to draw a half-smile from the Witch. "She needs way more help." The guard said and then turned to Julia "Can you do something?" He continued "Anything? I'll pay you back somehow, I promise, just… Just help her!" he raised his voice as he uttered his last three words, but the gradual desperation beforehand was all Julia needed to understand the man's reasons for his actions.

Up until now this night had really surpassed all her expectations in the most negative way imaginable. And the omens weren't exactly promising any improvements in the near future… Once she made sure those two 'lovebirds' were fine and well she was sure to go pack her things up… Just in case.

"Alllright" Julia's word began as a sigh and finished as a giggle "Let's carry your sleeping beauty out of here."

* * *

 **Last of the Ravens - Codex**

 **Bonus story: Without restraints**

 **\- The S** **isters -**

* * *

"Jagoda, enough dawdling about, come 'elp!" Klaudia gestured to her younger sister.

Instead of answering, Jagoda scoffed at her and looked the other way. She didn't move an inch from her position. Sitting on the fence, fidgeting about like a child, with that all-too-constant now annoyed look on her face – as if she was unfairly interrupted from some kind of important activity – _While doing nothing of course! She was just being difficult._

Klaudia wouldn't have that attitude of hers again. Yes, her little sister had become a woman not too many days ago now, but that wasn't an excuse not to help whenever she could. She didn't have her blood today. And she ought to help, out of respect if nothing else. "Didn't ya 'ear me?!" Klaudia demanded.

"Yea, I did." Jagoda answered without changing her unpleasant expression in the least, her tone of voice wasn't any better.

"Then come and 'elp. Picking olives ain't dat 'ard now ain't it?" Klaudia said, trying to sound firm. Not too convincingly by the looks of it, as her sister remained where she was. Acting as if in control was pretty much against Klaudia's nature, and she knew it. She wasn't mother after all… but tried nonetheless.

"If it ain't dat 'ard," Jagoda said frowning "you can do it yerselv." She crossed her arms.

At her younger sister's last insolence, Klaudia put her basket down and walked towards her with aggressive steps. She wasn't mother indeed, but her patience had limits too – and right about now, they were growing thin.

Klaudia stood in front of her younger sister and put her arms on her waist, frustration started to show on her face. "Aye, I can do it meself all aright," she nodded before continuing her (most likely) feeble attempt at explaining her situation "but dat takes longs and I've to be 'ome in time to cook…" Klaudia paused. She knew that her sister probably won't be moved by her house problems since she never liked Albin – While having absolutely no reason to. Father hated Albin, so Jagoda hated him too. Because Father was always right… "I shouldn'd even be 'ere you know," Klaudia continued in a mellower voice, her face softened as well "I've me man to take care of soo…" she hardened her features then "So 'elp me!" she ordered. Her sister may be a woman now, but she certainly wasn't acting like it so she would receive the appropriate treatment.

Jagoda turned to look at her older sister. She frowned unpleasantly at her, before leaving the fence by jumping forward. Standing in front of her now, Klaudia couldn't help but be surprised at how much taller her sister has grew in less than a winter, she had almost reached her, despite their seven years of difference. "Well don'd ya 'orry about id!" Jagoda's started, her voice harsh and loud "I bet yer stingin husband's fine an full! Drinking milk! Right from Dorota's teats!"

… Klaudia's eyes went wide in shock in response to her sister's crude statement. _Did she actually hear her say that?!_ "W- Wha-" she blinked and shook her head as tried to process it…

 _"So dats the one he puts me de horns wid?"_ she bit her lip at the reveal, her heart started racing. She was aware that Albin has been 'seeing' someone else for a while now when he slipped away in the middle of the night, leaving her alone in their bed, thinking she was still asleep… Klaudia was always holding back her tears during those times until she heard the door closing, then she allowed them to fall in a stream… She now wished that he was 'seeing' the witch like the rest of the unfaithful men in the village.

After taking a while, a long while, to let the whole thing sink in, Klaudia finally spoke, her voice came out in a weak barely-audible whisper "Whe- where did ya… 'ear dat?" she tried to raise her voice as she continued speaking, if only just enough to be audible "Ther- there all untruths, a- all of em." She licked her lips, she couldn't help it, always did when feeling anxious "J- Just ugly gossip is all."

"I saw 'em with me own eyes sis!"

"You- you dreamed id."

"I saw 'em clean!" Jagoda shouted and threw her fists up and down in frustration just like when she was little and threw a tantrum "Yesteday late I did! In Milosz'z 'ouse! The whoreson was ploughing her like a -" –– "SHUD UP!" Klaudia screamed at her sister and slapped her. Really hard.

Jagoda looked back at her sister, her hand on her cheek, her eyes wide and teary.

Klaudia froze in place. They often quarreled but she had never hit her little sister like that before…

 _She didn't mean to…_

 _It just happened…_

 _But she wasn't at fault!_

 _Jagoda was shouting!_

 _And others may hear her!_

The first thing that came to Klaudia's attention when she snapped back to the present was that her sister was clenching her teeth… in anger.

"Ya ploughing cunt!" Jagoda yelled in anger and lunged at her older sister. They both ended up on the ground as Klaudia lost her footing.

Despite her initial attempts at disengaging, after her younger sister bit her forearm and scratched at her face, Klaudia finally retaliated.

Before long they were both fighting like feral she-cats: scratching, biting, kicking, yanking each other's hair, tearing at each other's dresses. Yet for once Klaudia didn't care. She was angry…

She had been angry for a very long time.

 _She was angry at her own mother for always demanding things from her and constantly reminding her that as a woman she had to always be careful not bring shame upon their family. She was angry at how her married life turned out. She was angry at herself for not realizing what kind of man Albin was before she went with him, and she now have to bare his insults for the rest of her life. She was angry that her own husband was not touching her anymore, and that each night he went off to 'fertilize the soil' as he once called it, she had to humiliate herself even further by touching her own private parts while fantasizing about all the things she would have liked him to do to her. She was angry that Jagoda looked more like Mother than she did, and Father always treated her better because of it. She was angry that her sister had ever only been reprimanded for her bad behavior when naughty while she had been slapped, spanked or locked in the attic. She was angry that her sister never once understood or respected her and was always speaking arrogantly despite being the second-born…_

"…"

"Ja- Jagoda?"

"… ?"

"… !"

"… Ah- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


End file.
